Ticks and humans have something in common: they both like to hang outside from April to September. As you enjoy the great outdoors, be extra cautious of the blood-sucking creatures. Not all ticks cause harm, but some infected with bacteria, viruses, and parasites can cause humans and pets a whole host of diseases if they bite you, including Lyme disease, Tick-borne Relapsing Fever, Tick Paralysis, and more.
The four ticks most commonly known in Washington state are the Western Black-legged Tick, the Western Dog Tick, the Rocky Mountain Wood Tick, and the Soft Tick (see the state’s Department of Health webpage for images). Luckily, tick bites are not super common in Washington state, compared to other states in the U.S. However, whether you’re traveling across the country or frequenting wooded, grassy, leafy habitats where ticks live, it’s important to know how to identify them and prevent these diseases they can cause.
Most importantly, if you suspect you’ve been bitten by a tick and develop symptoms such as a rash, fever, headache, or dark scab over the bite area, see a health care provider.
Here are some prevention and treatment tips to keep yourself and your family, friends, and pets safe.
Ticks live in areas with long grass, brush, trees, as well in leaf litter. They wait in this vegetation for people or animals to brush by them and then latch on. When walking through these areas, wear long, light-colored clothing, and tuck pants legs into socks, or shirts into pants, so that you don’t leave gaps for ticks to bite your skin. You can even use a repellent recommended by the EPA, depending on if it’s appropriate for you (some are not recommended for children).
If you want to remove ticks from around your home, rodent-proof and deer-proof your yard, and remove leaf piles, wood piles, or long grasses directly near your house.
One important measure of prevention is checking yourself — and the friends or four-legged creatures you were just outside with — for ticks. Scan clothing, skin, and your pets’ fur and remove any ticks you see. Helpful places to look are under the arms, around the ears, hear, the belly button and waist, back of the knees, and between legs. You can use a hand mirror if you’re on your own to check hard-to-see areas.
Taking a shower within two hours of being outside has been useful for preventing tick bites and Lyme disease, according to the CDC. Place clothing in the dryer for 10 minutes on high, or wash in hot water and then dry, to help kill ticks.
If you happen to catch a tick on you, use a pair of tweezers to clasp onto the tick as close to your skin as possible and pull up. Don’t twist or jerk, as this could leave the mouth part of the tick embedded in the skin. If that does happen though, you can attempt to remove it with clean tweezers or wait for the skin to heal, according to the Washington State Department of Health. Clean the area with soap and water or rubbing alcohol. The Department also recommends saving the tick, and sending it in for identification.
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