If you’re hearing more about Lyme disease this summer, it’s because the odds of contracting the disease from tick bites during the summer are rising. The increase is due to a number of reasons including a warmer winter conducive to the maintenance of tick populations over a longer period of time and the expansion of range for the parasites south and west from historically high-risk areas in the Northeast and Upper Midwest.
One episode is all it takes to get a tick bite. When it comes to staying protected, it’s important to learn about a few of the top tick myths:
Myth: Ticks fall from trees
Fact: Ticks crawl from the ground up
Myth: All ticks carry diseases
Fact: Not all ticks carry pathogens that can cause human disease
Myth: Ticks burrow into your skin
Fact: Ticks cannot go further than their mouth part or their hypostome, however, the skin
around a bite can become inflamed, making it look as of the tick has burrowed into the skin.
Myth: You always get a bullseye rash when bitten by a tick
Fact: Not all people bitten by a tick experience a bullseye rash
Myth: DEET is the most effective repellent for tick bite prevention
Fact: DEET works effectively against mosquitos and biting flies, however, research shows that permethrin products work best as a tick repellent.
The Top 4 Tick Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
There are right and wrong ways to safely remove a tick. If bitten, here are a few methods to avoid and the reasons why they are not best practices.
Common Tick Removal Mistakes:
1. Using a hot object or heat
This can cause the tick to dispel more germs inside you and risks potential burns
2. Using suffocation products such as oils or Vaseline
The key is removing the tick as quickly as possible, which this method does not support.
3. Squeezing the tick, or trying to remove with fingers
Use pointy tweezers to remove the tick, grab as close to the skin as possible, and pull
straight out.
4. Throwing the tick away
Save the tick in a small plastic bag, take a photo of the tick, and send it for tick testing.
Tick Types and Habitats
Ticks can be found in all 50 states and around the world. It’s important to learn what types of ticks are found throughout the country and which diseases they carry.
3 Most Common Ticks in North America
1. Blacklegged (Deer) Tick (Ixodes scapularis)
2. American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis)
3. Lone Star Tick (Ambylomma americanum)
What You Should Know About Lyme Disease
Lyme disease, caused by a bacterium transmitted from tick to host, can cause various symptoms and serious side effects, including neurological and heart complications. Early detection is the key to recovery. The most common first symptoms of Lyme disease include a rash, fever and achiness.
Tick Bite Prevention Tips
Four simple tips can make all the difference in preventing tick bites.
- Walk down the center of the trail
Ticks are usually more abundant on the edges of trails, so walking down the center can help you avoid ticks that are waiting to jump onto the nearest host. It’s also important to understand that the simple act of stepping off the trail to let someone by can increase your risk of a tick encounter. - Tuck in your clothes–ideally, tick-repellent clothes
Ticks will attach anywhere on your shoes or clothing and then crawl onto your skin. - Remove your clothes after being in a tick habitat and put them in the dryer
Putting your clothing in the dryer after being out in a tick habitat can help remove ticks that may be hiding. - Do a thorough tick check
It’s important to do a thorough tick check on yourself, your kids, and your pets after being in a tick habitat, especially in areas where your clothing binds against your skin, such as your underarms.
Dr. Mather (a.k.a. “The TickGuy”) joined the University of Rhode Island in 1992 from the Harvard School of Public Health and now serves as director of URI’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease and Equip-4Ticks Resource Center. His research focus is on tick ecology, area-wide tick control strategies, tick-bite protection, and tickborne disease prevention. His research and outreach programs are diverse, including anti-tick vaccine discovery projects, evaluations of targeted tick control strategies, tickborne disease risk prediction, as well as the development of tick-bite protection decision support tools and social networking strategies for tickborne disease prevention. His work has attracted funding from a wide variety of sources, including the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Agency for International Development.