I don’t know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods, but here on the East Coast, it’s gone from winter to summer overnight!
One day last week, I was wearing my favorite wool sweater, and the next… I’m pulling out shorts and tees.
And along with the singing of birds, buzzing of bees, and lunch outside instead of in my office, there also comes the downside of these beautiful days and the months that follow.
It’s those creepy crawlers that make an appearance along with the warm weather – ticks and mosquitoes.
And according to a new CDC report, Americans are getting sick from them in record numbers.
To make matters worse, while reported cases of Lyme disease are still on the rise, we’ve also got a new tick-bite problem on our hands, one with symptoms similar to those of other tick-transmitted diseases, such as joint pain and fever.
But I’m not going to let all of this scary news keep me inside on beautiful days like today, and I hope that you feel the same way.
So, while you’re going to have to take a few extra precautions (especially with the kids and grandkids), there are several important things that you can do to stay safe and enjoy the great outdoors without risking your family’s health in the process!
Practicing ‘safe summer’
In a just-released CDC report, the agency’s director of vector-borne (bug-transmitted) diseases says that the number of people infected by some of those insect-related illnesses has gone “astronomical.”
It’s a “growing public health problem” in the U.S., the agency says, and it has tripled during the past 14 years.
This new report also details the increasing number of diseases being transmitted by mosquitos — including West Nile virus, spread like wildfire across the continental U.S. since it was first found in New York in 1999, and Zika, which has taken up residence in Puerto Rico and started popping up in Texas and Florida.
As for those ticks, it’s no longer just Lyme that we need be concerned about: It’s the newer threat of Heartland virus, which is now striking people in the South and Midwest and cannot be treated with antibiotics as Lyme can.
That’s why keeping ticks off of you (or removing them ASAP) is not something you want to take lightly. As Dorothy Leland of the patient advocacy group LymeDisease.org advises, “Recognize that this is a problem that’s worthy of your time and attention.”
You don’t have to be trudging through deep woods to be in danger. Gardening, mowing the lawn, whacking the weeds, or simply sitting outside with a glass of lemonade can be all it takes for one of these near-invisible blood-suckers to latch onto you.
And if it goes unnoticed, you can be in trouble.
Should that tick be infected with Lyme — and not removed within about 24 hours — that can be enough to transmit the disease to you. All it needs is to sink its barbed, needle-like prong into your skin for a blood meal to do the deed.
And if you think that it’s impossible to miss a tick on you for that long, remember that they can be no bigger than poppy seeds… and they may latch onto places you can’t easily see without the help of a mirror!
But by taking these relatively simple steps, you’ll be able to safely enjoy the outdoors again:
#1: When you come inside from mowing, gardening, or even playing with your pup (who can easily pick up a “hitchhiker” and should be checked as well), make it a point to change your clothes and examine your body for ticks. You should do so by feeling and looking for them and examining all “freckles” carefully, since that’s exactly what these tiny creatures resemble.
#2: If those clothes you had on aren’t quite ready for the wash, throw them in the dryer at high heat for at least 20 minutes to kill off any critters.
#3: If you do find a tick attached to you, use your fingers, some tweezers, or one of those tick-removal gizmos sold in the drug store or at your vet’s office. Pull it up and out — don’t squeeze the middle or try to kill it while it’s on you. The best way to dispose of a tick is to put it on a piece of sticky tape. (Seriously, they are practically indestructible and will crawl out of the trash or toilet!)
#4: When it comes to mosquitoes, wearing long sleeves and pants will help to keep them away from your skin. And for any exposed areas, HSI panel member Dr. Mark Stengler recommends a natural spray called Buzz Away. There are also several products on the market that contain oil of lemon eucalyptus, which is said to safely repel both mosquitoes and ticks. You can also use a repellent with at least 30 percent DEET – but only on your shoes and socks (and take them off before going inside). Don’t spray it on your skin!
And remember, while ticks don’t fly or jump, it’s very easy to stir them up by raking or using a leaf blower, so be sure to check yourself carefully after doing outside clean-up jobs.
May just so happens to be Lyme Disease Awareness Month… but for many of those who have been hit with this often devastating illness, that could describe every month out of the year!
“Tick and mosquito infections spreading rapidly, C.D.C. finds” Donald McNeil, Jr., May 1, 2018, The New York Times, nytimes.com
