The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) offer safety tips to help the public increase its awareness of ticks and the potential for tick-related illness.
“Tick bites can lead to a number of potentially serious illnesses,” said Richmond and Henrico Deputy Director Melissa Viray, MD. “It’s important to take a few key steps to protect yourself and your family.”
RHHD offers the following guidelines to help the public stay safe from tick-related illness during the summer months.
- Prepare for ticks before you go outside. Use an insect repellent and tuck your pants into your socks, especially if you’re headed into a grassy or forested area. If you’re adventuring with kids, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that their insect repellent has less than 30% DEET.
- Make tick checks a habit. Once you’re indoors, inspect your clothing and body for ticks. Make sure you’ve checked in areas where a tick could hide easily, like your hair, behind or in your ears, under your arms, and in your belly button.
- Remove ticks the right way. If you find a tick, use tweezers and grip the insect as close to your skin as possible. Pull directly up with steady, even pressure until the tick releases. Do not “squish” the tick. Clean the area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Identify the tick. It can be helpful to identify any tick that bites you so that if you get sick, you and your care providers have more information. Use the VDH tick identification chart to identify the tick. You can save the tick in a bag or container with rubbing alcohol or submit a tick survey and photo to VDH.
- Seek care. If you start feeling sick or develop symptoms like a rash or fever a few days or weeks after a tick bite, make sure to tell your medical provider that you were bitten by a tick. Tick bites are associated with a number of serious and potentially life-threatening medical problems, including Lyme disease Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Alpha-gal food allergy, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis.
For more information about identifying ticks and protecting kids and pets, visit VDH’s Don’t Let the Tick Get You Sick webpage.
Read this article in RFM and learn how to protect your pets from ticks.
