AUGUST 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 37
LYME PREVENTION AVOIDING TICK BITES
BY DONNA DUARTE-LADD
After spending months indoors, many
Long Islanders are indulging in day
trips to woodsy areas to get some socially
distant fresh air — trading coronavirus
risks for Lyme disease exposure.
Tick-borne disease prevention should be
part of every family’s summer routine.
Here is a cheat sheet on how to avoid them.
SHADY AREAS PREFERRED
Since ticks are extremely sensitive to
heat, one is most likely to encounter
them in shady rather than sunny areas.
Since ticks do not fly or hop about, they
are brushed on to clothing when people
walk through tall grass, says Phillip J.
Baker, Ph.D., executive director of the
American Lyme Disease Foundation.
WHICH SPRAY?
DEET is the recommended product for
use on skin, though it shouldn’t be applied
under clothes. When used as directed, it’s
both effective and safe on skin and clothes.
Sprays containing permethrin, such as
Repel, are for clothing. Although DEET
is not harmful when applied to the skin,
heavy sweating may affect how long it
lasts, according to consumerreports.
org. When used on clothing, permethrin
binds tenaciously to fiber
and will withstand several
wash/dry cycles.
“One does not
have to
spray
outdoor clothing daily,” Dr. Baker says.
“There are several organic insect repellents
on the market. Some are effective,
and others are not. I usually use DEET
because I know it works and is safe.”
TICK CHECKS
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention recommends
checking all clothing for
attached ticks. Remove any
clothing with ticks
on it and throw it
in the dryer on a
high setting.Then
do a body check on
yourself as well as
your children. The
CDC recommends
showering within two
hours of coming indoors
to wash away
any unattached ticks.
IF IT’S ATTACHED
To remove a tick, use sharp-tip tweezers,
get as close to the skin as possible,
and grasp the tick. Pull the tick straight
out. Either “squish” the tick in a tissue
and then flush it down the toilet, or put
the tick in a vial of alcohol that will kill
it, says Dr. Baker.
SIGNS OF LYME
The Mayo Clinic states that symptoms
of Lyme disease can vary, with the
most distinct being a rash that usually
surrounds a bite. When a rash starts
to appear, which can be from three to
30 days, it will look a bit like a bull’s
eye. Other symptoms can be fever,
chills, fatigue, body aches, headache,
neck stiffness, and swollen lymph
nodes.
This story first appeared in New York
Family
PARENTING TIPS
Ticks are tiny but can cause big medical problems.
(Getty Images)
miyjcc.org
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
/miyjcc.org
