Stay healthy by avoiding ticks

written by BRITTANY WEDD

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DISCOVERY STATION AT HAGERSTOWN INC.

At Discovery Station, we encourage children to have fun and learn as they discover the incredible world around them. Of course, that involves visiting the museum and spending a day exploring. Our interactive exhibits provide learning opportunities in aviation, robotics, art and – through our rainforest exhibit – the natural world.

Still, we encourage children to continue the theme of discovery and exploration outside the museum. Whether that involves visiting a local park, state forest or exploring their backyard, there are lessons everywhere. Playing and learning outside is incredibly important for a healthy, developing mind and body.

But we also teach people about being safe while they learn. That means wearing safety goggles while launching mentos and soda, gloves when making slime, and when playing outside, being aware of things that can cause harm.

Much of this is simple knowledge to a child: See a Snake? Walk away.

However, there is a potential threat so small and often overlooked that can cause more harm than a snake. That tiny threat might have a small bite, but it could potentially carry long-lasting health conditions. What is it? A tick.

Ticks often are mistaken for insects, but they’re actually parasitic arachnids that consume blood from hosts. They are prevalent in high grass and outdoor vegetation, but they also can be found in short grass and walking on surfaces such as sidewalks and fences. The average tick can lay up to 5,000 eggs, and in mild winters, tick numbers increase, as do cases of tickborne diseases.

Lyme disease is the fastest-growing, vector-borne infectious disease in the United States. Transmitted by deer ticks, it is most commonly associated with a bull’s-eye rash, muscle pain, fatigue and other flu-like symptoms. Early detection is critical because the disseminated stage can be harder to treat. It can be challenging to get an early diagnosis because of sensitive diagnostic tests and because less than 50% of patients develop the rash.

Babesia, a parasite transmitted by ticks, attacks and destroys red blood cells. It is more dangerous to individuals with weakened immune systems, who have comorbidities or in those without spleens. It presents with flu-like symptoms, shortness of breath, fatigue and sweats, particularly at night.

Other tick-borne diseases include mycoplasma species, Bartonella-like organisms, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. Lone star ticks can even cause a meat allergy known as alpha-gal.

To learn more about these diseases, symptoms and treatments, go to lymedisease.org.

Simple steps for prevention

The best way to prevent tick-borne diseases is to reduce your exposure to ticks, but that doesn’t mean you should lock yourself in your house and avoid the outdoors.

When you go outside, wear light-colored high socks and pants. Tucking your pants into your socks will keep ticks from attaching to your legs, ankles or feet. It’s important to note, though, that ticks will travel until they find exposed skin and then will attach. Treating clothes with permethrin sprays will help prevent ticks from crawling on clothes. Run a lint roller over your legs and body after being outdoors. If ticks are crawling on you, the roller will pick them up. This simple step is important because some ticks are smaller than a pencil point and hard to see.

Unfortunately, you can follow all of these precautionary steps and still discover that a tick has bitten you. There are steps that you should take if that happens:

• Do NOT use essential oils, rubbing alcohol or dish soap to remove a tick. These do not make the tick “let go” and do not make it easier to remove. Use a tick key – available online – to remove a tick without causing it to regurgitate its stomach contents into your system, which could lead to the spread of disease.

• Clean the bite site with soap and water.

• Make sure you keep the tick. Place it in a zip-top bag so it can be identified and tested for tickborne diseases by companies such as Ticknology. Write your name, date of removal and how long it was attached – if known – on the bag.

• Draw a circle around the bite site with a small marker and take a photo of it.

• Keep track of any symptoms that develop and continue taking pictures of the bite site if you notice a rash.

• Seek medical attention or contact a Lyme-literate doctor if you get sick. You can download free tick apps like TickTracker to help you identify ticks, learn about the diseases they transmit and submit observations to help scientists study the spread of ticks. You do not need to live in fear of ticks or keep your family inside to stay safe, but it’s a good idea to be aware of the dangers they possess and practice safety techniques.

Brittany Wedd receives treatment for her tickborne disease. Submitted photo.