Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

Protection From Ticks

Simple Precautions Can Protect You From Creepy Insects

By Fairfax County, June 2002

Had Robert Frost taken to the woods on a summer evening in the last decade, he might have included that cautionary note in his poem.

A sign of spring is now the annual media focus on the threat posed by ticks and the diseases they may carry. It's enough to persuade some folks that the forest trails and meadows of parks are places to be avoided. But with a few simple precautions, the risk can be eliminated, or at least greatly reduced.

For starters, keep anxiety in perspective. Fairfax County averages only a dozen or so cases of Lyme Disease and even fewer instances of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever a year. So obviously, only a tiny percentage of ticks carry the disease-producing organisms.

To avoid those dangerous few:

Walk in the center of mowed trails. Ticks do not jump or fly onto their hosts. They wait on low vegetation and attach themselves when you brush against tall grass or underbrush.
Wear light colored clothing so that ticks are easy to see and remove before they bite.
Tuck shirts into trousers and trouser legs into socks. Wear long-sleeved shirts buttoned or snug at the wrist.
Apply an insect repellent that's specifically formulated to protect against ticks. Products containing 30 percent DEET or 0.5 percent permethrin are almost 100 percent effective in repelling ticks. (Permethrin products work on clothing, not skin.).
Do a tick check every four to six hours when there's a risk of contact.

Ticks must be attached at least four hours--24 hours in the case of Lyme Disease--for the disease-causing organisms to be transferred. So removing ticks as fast as they're found will significantly reduce the risk of contagion. Don't use nail polish, petroleum jelly, alcohol or a hot match to aid removal. The best way is to grasp the tick with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and gently, but firmly, pull it straight out. If tweezers aren't handy, protect your fingers with gloves, tissue or a paper towel. But if possible, don't pull the tick off with your bare fingers, as there is a small risk of the disease-producing organisms entering through a break in the skin.

After you've removed the tick, wash your hands with soap and water and apply an antiseptic, such as alcohol or iodine, to the bite.

Should you have symptoms of Lyme Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, let your doctor know that you've been exposed to a tick bite. Both diseases respond readily to treatment, particularly in the early stages. For Lyme Disease, be on the alert for flu-like symptoms or a slowly expanding red rash around the bite. For Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, watch for a sever headache or muscle aches, chills, fever and nausea, followed in two or three days by a red spotted rash which begins on the wrists and ankles.