How to protect yourself from ticks year-round
"Humans are outside more in summer so we hear about more tick infections," said Sam Telford, an infectious diseases expert at Tufts University. But he urges caution year-round because "every season is tick season."
While tick populations vary a lot regionally, some Northeastern states including Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are seeing "above average" numbers of American dog ticks this year, said Telford.
And New York state is seeing a higher number of reported deer tick bites this year than last year, said Saravanan Thangamani, who studies tick-borne diseases at SUNY Upstate Medical University.
How ticks can spread disease
Ticks, like mosquitos, need to feed on blood. But instead of a quick prick, they are slow feeders -- with hooked mouth parts that attach into the skin of deer, rabbits, dogs and people.
There are many different species of ticks found globally and only some spread germs that can make people sick. A main worry is blacklegged ticks, also called deer ticks, which can spread Lyme disease. Once found mainly in New England and pockets of the Midwest, the ticks are now present over a wider range.
A tick bite doesn't always lead to illness. "If you remove a tick within 24 hours of attachment, it's fairly unlikely that you will get infected," said Telford.
How to check for ticks
Ticks are usually found low to the ground, in leaf litter or grassy areas.
Check your clothing for ticks and do a full-body check including under the arms and behind ears, knees and hair.
"If you're out all day long, try to do a quick check for ticks every few hours," said Bobbi Pritt at the Mayo Clinic. "When you go back inside, take a shower. That will wash off any unattached ticks, and you're also more likely to spot any other ticks."
Use tweezers to remove the tick and grasp it as close to the skin as possible to pull from the head. If you don't have them handy, you can also use your fingernails, the edge of a credit card or any semi-sharp object.
How to keep ticks away
The best approach is to minimize tick exposure altogether.
Bug sprays containing ingredients such as DEET can be sprayed on exposed skin to ward off ticks and mosquitos, said Telford.
Wear long sleeves and pants, and you can also spray clothing with repellents containing permethrin, a chemical similar to a natural ingredient in chrysanthemums that makes ticks avoid the flowers.
Protect your pets from ticks
Don't forget to pay attention to outdoor pets. Medications can prevent fleas and ticks from attaching to a dog's skin. But it's still a good idea to check the fur after being outside.
"Wherever pets can't easily groom themselves, that's where the ticks will be -- on the ears, around the muzzle area, under the collar, between the toes," said Thangamani.
Dogs and cats roaming outdoors can also bring ticks into the house.
"If pets bring ticks in, a tick can live in the house for months until it finds its next blood meal," which could be another household member, he said.
What to do after a tick bite
After removing the tick, keep an eye on the skin around the bite. If a rash or flu-like symptoms appear within several days or weeks, see a doctor.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend tick testing because results may not be reliable.
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Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
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Is there no research in defense of solitude, of solitary souls who need solitude as the social need society? 'Loneliness and isolation are indeed social problems that warrant serious attention,' writes another American psychologist, Virginia Thomas, on The Conversation website – 'especially since chronic states of loneliness are linked with poor outcomes such as depression and a shortened lifespan. 'But,' she continues, 'there is another side to this story, one that deserves a closer look. For some people, the shift towards aloneness represents a desire for what researchers call 'positive solitude,' a state that is associated with well-being, not loneliness. Statistics show that we're choosing to be solitary for more of our waking hours than ever before, tucked away at home rather than mingling in public. Increasing numbers of us are dining alone and traveling solo, and rates of living alone have nearly doubled in 50 years.' There's moral support for solitude. Take note, solitaries. Society frowns on solitude. It distrusts it, wonders what it's up to, suspects it's no good whatever it is, something it doesn't understand anyway, which is bad enough.' Why,' Thomas asks, 'does (solitude's) side of the story often get lost amid the warnings about social isolation? I suspect it has to do with a collective anxiety about being alone. This anxiety stems in large part from our culture's deficit view of solitude. In this type of thinking, the desire to be alone is seen as unnatural and unhealthy, something to be pitied or feared rather than valued or encouraged.' In other words, whose problem is it – the solitary's, or society's? As usual – as always maybe – the problem is balance, so hard to strike in almost every lifestyle choice. Too much society is as bad as too little. Too much society is as bad as too much solitude. Might it not reasonably be argued that Holt-Lunstad's dire conclusions apply not to solitude per se but to too much solitude? 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The Mainichi
3 days ago
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Japan Today
3 days ago
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Bad diets, too many meds, no exercise: A look inside the latest 'Make America Healthy Again' report
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