You: It’s what’s for dinner

Written by Lauren Murphy, SIU School of Medicine

While you scour the woods for morel mushrooms and other springtime delicacies, you could be the target of another creature’s appetite.woods

The American dog tick, or hard tick, is the most common type of tick in Central Illinois. A bite from this little arachnid (that’s right, ticks fall into the same category as spiders!) can lead to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and possibly ehrlichiosis in humans.

Many ticks, including the American dog tick as well as the deer tick which causes Lyme disease, are most active April through June. “When it comes to tickborne diseases, we are very fortunate to be living in the era of awareness,” says Dr. Vidhya Prakash, an infectious diseases specialist at SIU School of Medicine. “While almost all of these infections are treatable with appropriate therapy, prevention is key to combatting disease.”

As you head outdoors this spring, SIU physicians recommend taking these preventative measures:

  • Avoid wooded or brushy areas
  • Walk in the center of trails
  • Use insect repellent containing 20-30% DEET on exposed skin and clothing
  • Apply products that contain permethrin to clothing. The CDC recommends treating all clothing and gear, including boots, pants, socks and tents, with products containing 0.5% permethrin. One treatment will continue to protect even after several washings.

While taking these precautions is a good start, experts also recommend doing a thorough check after coming indoors.

  • Scrub up in the shower or bathtub, preferably within two hours of being outside
  • Perform a full-body tick check using a handheld or full length mirror. Parents should also check their children, especially in their hair, under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs and around the waist.
  • Check out your gear and pets. While you may not find any ticks during your full-body check, the little pests could hitch a ride on your gear or canine companion and attach to you later.
  • Throw your clothes in the dryer on high heat for an hour to kill remaining ticks

dogWhat should you do if you find a tick on your clothes, or worse, on your skin?

  • You can remove ticks found crawling on your clothes with tape. Just make a ring of tape around your hand (sticky side out, attach the ends) and the critters will stick to the tape. You can then fold over the tape and place it in the trash.
  • Remove any tick found on your body ASAP!
    • Grasp the tick firmly with tweezers and pull it (gently, but firmly) straight out.
    • If you don’t have tweezers, use a piece of tissue. Never use your bare hands since the secretions from the tick can cause disease.
    • Dispose of the tick by flushing it down the toilet. You can also stick it to tape and throw the tape away in the garbage.
    • Wash your hands and the bite site with soap and water.
    • Call your physician if you experience any rash or unexplained fever.

Source: http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pccommonticks.htm

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