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Get ticked off this summer

Arm yourself with knowledge before you head into your yard or other tick habitat this summer

Date published: 6/29/2009

BY KIM BAER

It was meant to be a sweet walk in the woods to celebrate our ninth anniversary.

And it was sweet. We walked on a path near the Potomac River on that day in late May. We held hands. We talked.

We then walked back to the car, headed to another sweet destination: Westmoreland Berry Farm.

About five minutes into the drive, my husband spied something crawling up his leg.

Something fast-moving, tiny and brown with itty-bitty icky legs.

Oh yes. A tick.

He yanked it off and threw it out the window.

Then he saw another one. And another. And another.

My husband pulled the car off to the side of the road.

He pulled a few more ticks off. I stood immobilized. And quite creeped out.

After giving each other the best body scans we could on the side of the road, we declared ourselves tick-free.

We re-entered the car rather cautiously, scanning the seats and floors.

On the way to the berry farm, we found a couple more crawling in the car and threw them out the window.

At the berry farm (after we'd both gone to the rest-room for another round of tick checks), we ate strawberry sundaes and congratulated ourselves on surviving the Great Tick Invasion of 2009.

We later learned, of course, that there was a lot we could have done to prevent it.

Prevention is important, of course, because ticks can carry diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

One of our mistakes was parking our car in an area with tall grass.

Tall grass is a prime spot for ticks, said Jorge Arias, environmental health supervisor for the Fairfax County department of health and an expert on disease-carrying insects.

We wore shorts and T-shirts for our hike. Arias recommends that those hiking in the woods during tick season (late spring through the summer) wear long sleeves and pants, and tuck the legs of pants into socks.

We also didn't wear any insect repellent.

Arias recommends wearing a repellent with DEET.

Those who spend any time outside during tick season should check themselves all over for ticks every day, Arias said.

He also recommended spraying clothing with permethrin, an insecticide that kills ticks on contact. Spray the clothing before you put it on, he said.

For more information, check out the Virginia Department of Health's bro-chure on ticks. The brochure can be found online by going to the department's Web site, vdh.virginia.gov, and clicking on "tick and mosquito-borne diseases."

The brochure reviews bite prevention measures and symptoms of tick-borne diseases.

My husband and I haven't taken another hike since the Anniversary Invasion, but I'm sure we will.

I'm also sure we'll be better prepared.

Kim Baer: 540/834-0656
Email: kbaer@freelancestar.com

Grasp the tick with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and gently, but firmly, pull it straight out. Avoid any twisting or jerking motion that may break off the mouth parts in the skin. Mouth parts left in the wound will not transmit the disease, but may cause irritation or infection similar to a reaction from a splinter. If tweezers are not available, protect your fingers with gloves, tissue, or a paper towel; do not touch the tick with bare fingers. Do not squeeze or rupture the tick's swollen abdomen. This may cause an infectious agent to be injected into the skin and cause disease. After the tick has been removed, wash hands with soap and water. Apply an antiseptic to the bite site. You can dispose of the tick by drowning it in alcohol. It may be useful to save the tick in alcohol for several weeks in case you become ill. Knowing what kind of tick bit you might help your doctor diagnose the illness. Tick removal using nail polish, petroleum jelly, alcohol or a hot match is not safe. These methods could cause the tick to regurgitate an infectious agent into the site of the bite. --Virginia Department of Health Ticks do not jump or fly. They wait on the forest floor, leaf litter, or low vegetation and attach to the feet, shoes or legs of people and animals that pass by. The ticks then crawl upward. The following steps can reduce your risk of tickborne diseases: Avoid potential tick-infested areas such as tall grass and dense vegetation in shaded areas and along forest edges. Walk in the center of mowed trails to avoid brushing against vegetation. Wear light-colored clothing so that ticks are easier to see and remove. Tuck pant legs into socks and boots. Wear long-sleeved shirts buttoned at the wrist. Conduct tick checks on yourself, your children and your pets every four to six hours while in tick habitat. Apply tick repellent to areas of the body and clothing that may come in contact with grass and brush. Repellents include those containing up to 50 percent DEET for adults or less than 30 percent for children. A repellent containing 0.5 percent permethrin may be applied to shoes, socks and other clothing, but should not be used on skin. --Virginia Department of Health

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Date published: 6/29/2009

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