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Ticks are tiny insects that, as long as conditions are right, can thrive anywhere. It's why they can be found everywhere in the USA. The problem is, these insects can transmit diseases to people and animals. Lyme disease is perhaps the most well-known disease transmitted by a tick. Ticks also cause numerous other infections, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Anaplasmosis.
People commonly think that ticks only exist in woods or country, but ticks have their abode in parks, yards, and even in the cities. One can get infested with ticks by brushing against grass, shrubs, or piles of leaves.
Avoidance of tick bites is the best prevention for Lyme disease. This guide breaks down how ticks spread, how to protect yourself, family members, and pets. You’ll also learn what to look out for early indicators of sickness following a bite.
Ticks can be found throughout the year, though they are more prevalent between April and September. They are also active in the winter months in hotter parts of the world.
Ticks live in grassy woods and bushes and even in your backyard. You can be exposed to ticks when walking through tall grasses or when gardening or even when you are just playing outdoors. In most of the situations, ticks may attach on a pet, clothes or on the skin.
Every year, approximately 476,000 Americans are treated for Lyme disease. This figure may be an overestimate, as doctors sometimes treat people "just in case." As for officially reported cases, there are only about 35,000 confirmed cases every year. The discrepancy in these numbers is basically due to nonreporting of cases by healthcare workers.
Besides Lyme disease, the tick carries on Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and other dangers like Babesiosis or Ehrlichiosis among others. These diseases may turn out to be severe yet they may be preventable with precautions needed.
The first step toward protection is understanding where ticks live and how they spread, brings you to that better level of protection.
Ticks can't fly and can't jump either. They stay quietly waiting around grasses, shrubs, and leaves until someone or some animal brushes past them. They then attach themselves to the skin, whereupon they begin feeding. They love warm hidden parts of the body, including areas that are under the arms, behind the knees, at the waistline, inside the belly button, or at the hairline.
Most times, tick bites go unnoticed if you're not looking for them. Ticks secretes saliva that makes the skin numb during feeding. Most infections are caused by smaller ticks, also known as nymph. Most of them are about the size of a poppy seed, making them harder to see than adult ticks almost at a sesame seed in size.
When attached, ticks can remain unnoticed for a couple of days if people do not check their skin. As such, early detection is very important.
Sometimes, tick bites may occur occasionally despite good prevention measures. Being aware of initial symptoms of Lyme disease can assist you obtain treatment fast.
Once Lyme disease develops without treatment, its symptoms can appear a few weeks or months later and result in excruciating pain in joints and nerves, cardiovascular disorders, or any other disorders.
Get tested and possibly treated by a healthcare provider immediately in case you get a rash, flu-like symptoms, or other strange pain after being bitten by a tick-or if you have been to an area with ticks. Lyme disease can often be cured with the help of early antibiotics.
The ticks harbor a number of bacteria and other diseases. Not every tick causes disease but infected ticks can inject bacteria into the blood stream as they feed. Blacklegged tick (or the deer tick) is responsible for transmitting Lyme disease in the United States.
It often takes between 36 and 48 hours of attachment of ticks to spread the Lyme disease bacteria. Nymphs cause most of the infections. Adult ticks may also cause disease but appear on your body larger and are easy to detect and eliminate.
Seek medical attention when:
Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses are usually treated successfully with early administration of antibiotics. The failure to treat in time can lead to even more severe side effects like persistent pain in joints and issues with the nervous system. When in doubt, it is safer to seek medical help after the tick bite has been confirmed.
There are easy habits to prevent Lyme disease, as well as other tick-carrying diseases. Use repellants, check yourself and your pets as you come indoors, treat your equipment and your clothes and never leave your yard filled with tick-prone areas.
Once a tick has attached, remove it as soon as possible. Be it when you are taking your dog out, in the garden, or hiking along the trail, you should watch out all year with regard to ticks protection.
It is better to prevent biting than treating the consequences of tick-related diseases. Take small steps today to keep your family and pets safer outdoors.
