TICKS

To avoid exposure to ticks

 Stay on the trails.

 Avoid grassy, brushy areas. 

Clothing

 Wear light colored clothing so ticks can be seen. 

 Wear long sleeve shirts and tuck shirts into pants and pant legs into socks.

Wear a hat.

 Do not wear shorts or swimsuits on the trails.

Inspect and Protect

 Check yourself for ticks every day or have someone else check for you.

Removal

 Finding and removing a tick early (within 36 hours) is the key to the prevention of Lyme disease.

 If a tick is attached to your skin, grab it with tweezers as close to your skin as possible and pull is

straight out.

Do not use Vaseline. It will kill the tick and cause more harm.

 Do not squeeze the body of the tick; it can cause all the infected material of the tick to enter into your skin.

                        Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water and use a disinfectant.

Consult a Doctor

You should have any and all tick bites checked by a doctor.

If you develop a rash of more than one inch wide appears at the site of the bite - GO TO THE DOCTOR. This is a sign of Lyme disease.

If you have flu-like symptoms up to a month after being bitten by a tick, GO TO THE DOCTOR. You could have ehrlichiosis, another serious, potentially fatal, tick-borne disease. Ehrlichiosis can be treated with antibiotics.

Check your pets for ticks

You can get a Lyme disease vaccine for your dogs, but they have not yet developed one for cats.

 Be sure to use a flea and tick control medication or a flea and tick collar.

For more info visit the American Lyme Disease Foundation website.