Tips For Avoiding Lyme Disease

Tick season is here, and the nymph stage is upon us. Though very tiny and difficult to see, the nymph is capable of transmitting Lyme disease.

Personal protection practices and property management to control ticks are the most significant weapons available to prevent tick bite and risk of disease.

According to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in a recent New England Journal of Medicine, a total of 23,763 Lyme diseases cases were reported to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention during 2002, with most cases occurring in the northeast, mid-Atlantic, and north central states. Factors leading to the increase in reported cases are growing deer populations, increased residential development in wooded areas, improved disease recognition, and enhanced reporting.

The following tips are offered to help protect against Lyme disease.

Personal Protective Measures

Know where ticks live and avoid these habitats. Ticks live in shaded, sheltered areas, so avoid the following areas: Edges of yards, woods, roads, and trails; leaf litter and shaded gardens; weeds, tall grass, shrubs, and low trees; under decks and along foundations; ornamental ground cover; and piled wood and stone walls.

DEET products can be used for exposed skin. Use permethrin-based sprays for clothing and shoes. Always follow the manufacturer’s direction.

Do thorough daily tick checks for humans and pets and remove ticks promptly. Removing infected ticks within 48 hours of attachment can reduce the likelihood of transmission.

Wear long pants that are a light color so ticks can be spotted, and tuck pants into socks and shirt into pants. Tape pant legs and wear long sleeves when working near the ground. Cover hair with a hat and contain long hair, especially while gardening.

Remove and check clothing for ticks. Wash clothing or place in a dryer, on high, for 20 minutes to kill unseen ticks.

Reduce or eliminate sleeping with your pets and check them daily for ticks and remove promptly.

Property Protection

Keep grass mowed, and remove leaf and moist plant litter.

Place swing sets, play areas, mailboxes, sheds, and picnic tables in sunny areas.

Separate the lawn from wooded brushy areas with barriers of cedar chips. The barrier should be at least three feet wide.

Use deer resistant plantings. Restrict the use of groundcover, such as pachysandra, to areas of the yard that are not used.

Move woodpiles and bird feeders away from the house.

Insecticides could be applied in late May and September.

Tick Removal

Remove promptly — the longer a tick is attached, the higher the chance of disease transmission.

Use a fine-pointed tweezers, and grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and firmly pull it straight out. Clean bite area with an antiseptic or soap and water.

Never squeeze the tick, burn it, or cover it with any substance.

To obtain brochures about Lyme disease, contact the Newtown District Department of Health.