U-M Health-West shares tips on preventing tick infections

By Dr. Del DeHart
Infectious Disease Specialist

A combination of outdoor activity and warmer weather makes it more likely for residents to be exposed to ticks. (Pxhere.com)

Spring is here, and with warmer weather people are outside much more, which is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, ticks feel the same way and the combination of outdoor activity and warmer weather makes tick exposure more likely. With National Lyme Disease Awareness Month approaching in May, if you plan to spend time outdoors this spring and summer, there are things you should know about ticks and the diseases they spread.

Exposure risk:

Ticks are active from early spring to fall, and they like woodlands and grassy areas
Ticks vary in size as they develop over the year
While we think of exposure when we are out in the woods or grassy areas, many to most bites occur around our homes
Ticks are moving into some areas where they were not common in years past
Tick-borne diseases can be regional, so it is helpful to know common ticks or infections in your area
Use tick prevention for dogs too

Tick exposures and tick bites:

Preventing exposures is the first line of defense
When trekking in areas of higher risk wear tight-fitting clothing and tuck pants into socks
Check for ticks on clothing and on skin periodically
Remove any attached ticks quickly with tweezers
If a tick is engorged or has been attached for more than a few hours keep it for possible identification
Most common tick-borne infections are not transmitted quickly, but towards the end of the blood meal so early removal is very helpful
Rashes and bites may not be in an area where it will be noticed, and bites are often painless

When to seek medical advice:

If you develop a rash or fever after a bite or exposure to high risk area
- In areas with high risk of Lyme disease and clear high-risk tick bite, prophylactic antibiotics may be prescribed
- Save the tick: If the tick can be identified it can help with identifying specific infection risk. Tick identification can be helpful, but testing the tick for pathogens is a waste of money and time
  - Many commercial labs will nevertheless do this testing for lots of money
  - Any given tick may carry several pathogens
  - Infected ticks don’t regularly, or even commonly, transmit infections
- Be aware the tick you find may not be the one that bit you, or the only one to which you were exposed

Resources

Recent video from the New England Journal of Medicine about ticks and tick diseases: