Prevention of Tick borne Diseases

Any contact with vegetation outdoors, even playing in the yard, golfing, or gardening can result in exposure to ticks and tick-borne diseases.  All children and adults in Iowa are at risk of contracting a tick-borne illness with tick exposure.  As the numbers of Lyme disease cases nationwide and in Iowa continue to climb, we must faithfully take precautions by reducing tick exposure, following personal protection measures, and performing routine full body tick checks.

Reduce Your Exposure:

One defense against Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses is to reduce your exposure to ticks. Ticks can bite humans any time of the year, and many people are infected in their own back yards.  Using simple prevention measures like avoiding infested areas, yard care, and pet prevention are just a few of the ways to help reduce your exposure to Lyme disease.

Simple Personal Protection Measures:

Avoid Areas Infested with Ticks:

Ticks favor moist, shady environments, especially those with leaf litter or low lying vegetation in a wooded or grassy habitat.  Ticks are also often found clinging to tall grass, brush, or shrubs, waiting for their next blood meal.

• Avoid known areas ticks prefer, such as wooded and bushy areas, ditches with high grass, or areas with a lot of ground cover or leaf litter.
   
• Do not sit directly on the ground or stone walls.
   
• Avoid contact with overgrown grass or weeds.
   
• Avoid sitting on logs or leaning against trees.
   
• Stay on clear, well traveled trails.  Walk to the inside or middle of the trail.

Keep Ticks Off of Your Skin:

• Use insect repellent with 20% - 30% DEET on adult skin and clothing to prevent tick bite.  Effective repellents are found in drug, grocery and discount stores. Always follow manufacturer instructions.  Click HERE for details about proper insect repellant use in adults and children.
   
• Permethrin is another type of repellent. It can be purchased at outdoor equipment stores that carry camping or hunting gear. Permethrin kills ticks on contact! One application to pants, socks, and shoes typically stays effective through several washings. Permethrin should not be applied directly to skin. Always follow manufacturer instructions.  For details on permethrin visit the National Pesticide Information Center.
   
• Wear long pants, long sleeves, enclosed shoes, and long socks to keep ticks off your skin. Light-colored clothing will help you spot ticks more easily. Tucking pant legs into socks or boots and tucking shirts into pants help keep ticks on the outside of clothing. If you’ll be outside for an extended period of time, tape the area where your pants and socks meet to prevent ticks from crawling under your clothes.
   
• When carrying firewood, hold the logs away from your body.
   

Check Your Skin and Clothes for Ticks EVERY Day!

• Make tick checks a daily routine! Help your children develop this habit!
   
• Tick checks should be done after any outdoor activities, even when in your own yard.  A simple check should be done PRIOR to going indoors so ticks are not brought indoors on your clothing or your pet.
   
• If you are outdoors for an extended amount of time, check for ticks at frequent intervals throughout the day.
   
• Shower and shampoo may help to remove any crawling ticks, but they will not remove an attached one.  Everyone, including children, need to be inspected carefully after a shower. 
   
• A systematic and whole-body inspection must be done each day before bed.  Inspect all parts of your body carefully, including armpits, behind the knees and ears, groin, and scalp.  Use a mirror to check your back.  If available, have someone else check your scalp thoroughly.
   
• If a tick is found, the tick must be removed properly and promptly.

Learn about proper tick removal >>HERE.

Learn about controlling the tick population on your property >>HERE

More:

Top 10 Tips to Prevent Chronic Lyme Disease - International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society