How can tick bites be prevented?
• Avoid walking in tall grass, woods or dunes where ticks live. • Wear light-colored long-sleeved shirts and pants and tuck pant legs into socks. • Use insect repellants that contain DEET. Read labels carefully and don’t overapply. • Avoid using repellants with more than 10-15% DEET on children and avoid applying on their hands and faces. Do not use on infants. • Adults should avoid repellants with more than 30-35% DEET. • Wash repellants off skin as soon as you return indoors. • Check for tick bites daily. Favorite tick places include armpits, along hairline, behind ears, on the legs and groin. • To remove a tick, use tweezers to grip mouth parts firmly and pull straight out. Then drown the tick in alcohol. Wash bitten area in alcohol. • If you are considered a high risk individual: • those who work outdoors in endemic areas such as the coast • those who spend a lot of time outdoors in endemic areas: Consider receiving the new Lyme vaccine. This involves three injections. The first in
