4 days ago
Tips to reduce the risk of tick-borne infection
EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR) — Many are itching to get outside as the summer season quickly approaches. But that means people also need to have several strategies in their back pockets to keep themselves safe from ticks.
Ticks hide in plain sight in the outdoors.
'In grass, bushy areas, dry grass, under the leaf litter, and sometimes in between bark as well,' Dr. Saravanan Thangamani, PhD, said.
But there are ways to boost protection.
'At the end of the day, tick check is the thing we advocate for above all else,' Harold Nugent, a tick educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County, said.
Before stepping back inside, check for ticks on the body from head to toe, and use a mirror to look at the spots that are hard to see. Ticks can travel indoors on clothing as well, making it important to check for the tiny terrors on each garment.
But what happens if a tick bite cannot be avoided?
'Take blunt-ended tweezers…put it right under the tick, closer to the mouth part, and then gently yank it straight up, preferably, perpendicular to your body, to your skin, and then put it in a Ziploc bag with a moist tissue or towel and then send it to a lab,' Dr. Thangamani said.
Dr. Thangamani is the director of the Upstate Tick Testing Laboratory. He said it is important to get a tick sample set out to a lab, such as his, to take early action against the disease.
'Tick bites induce allergies, tick bites induce itchiness…alright, that's non-pathogen specific, non-disease specific,' he said. 'However, ticks carry a lot of disease-causing pathogens that are transmitted to humans during the blood-feeding process.'
You can learn more about how to avoid the bite at Ryder Park in Dewitt on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. The fourth annual 'Legs Against Lyme' walk is also taking place at 10 a.m. at Long Branch Park.
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