This time of year, many locals venture into the hills and coastal areas for a respite from the valley’s heat. All who are excitedly planning outdoor adventures should take precautions.
You cannot overlook the possibility of tick exposure. Anyone on an outing at a place with tall grass, fallen leaves, logs and low-hanging trees is in possible tick territory. Ticks can infest lovely wooded areas near lakes, rivers, and the ocean.
Pacific coastal ticks and dog ticks are the most common ticks found in California. These can carry spotted fever, which may be deadly.
Deer ticks can carry Lyme disease. This disease is rare on the West Coast but occurs and has serious consequences.
Wear protective long sleeves, pants and a hat while walking in the woods. Treat hiking attire with a permethrin product, and include rubbing alcohol and fine-tipped tweezers in your first aid kit.
Be alert when in a grassy or wooded area: quickly brush a tick off clothing as soon as one is spotted, and know what to do if a tick bites you.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website offers instructions. If a tick is attached to the skin, immediate removal is crucial.
Using clean, fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick at the skin’s surface and gently pull it out. With gentle pressure, pull upward in an even motion, and don’t twist.
If mouth parts break off, try gently removing them with tweezers. Clean the area with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
Do not use your fingers to crush a live tick. Instead, soak the critter in alcohol and wrap it in tape or seal it in a small baggie.
Check your skin for a rash during the upcoming days and weeks after a bite. Check for a fever, too. If either occurs, contact a doctor immediately.
Someone with a tick bite might use the CDC’s Tick Bite Bot online. This tool provides information and actions to take.
Avoid trying “wives’ tales” methods. Do not try to smother the tick in ointment, and do not use a hot match. In times past, both methods tried coaxing the tick to withdraw. Instead, be proactive to get the little bug out quickly.
Also, protect your pets from tick bites by administering flea and tick prevention medications according to their instructions and updating them regularly. Do not let dogs play or sleep in a habitat with ticks.
After an outing, thoroughly check one another and your pets for ticks. Focus areas are the neck, head, ears, feet and between the toes.
While Lyme disease is most common in the Northeast and upper Midwest, cases have been reported on the West Coast. The first stage is the first month after a tick bite, while the second stage might last for months.
During the first stage, an infected person might have flu-like symptoms. Watch for chills, fever, headache, fatigue and muscle pain.
If a tick-bitten person or anyone who has been in tick territory develops some symptoms, seek medical attention immediately. Do not wait for a rash.
Advise medical attendants of possible tick exposure: up to half of those bitten by a tick are unaware. Sometimes, the realization only comes after the symptoms.
Most Lyme disease-infected individuals develop a rash around the bite, which might enlarge or take on a bull’s-eye appearance. It generally does not itch or feel painful.
Anyone bitten by a tick should carefully watch the area, and those who develop symptoms should seek medical attention. Enjoy the great outdoors, but do so with caution.
Janet Miller’s e-book, Family Prayers and Activities: Weekly Guides, is for families or prayer groups. Janet is the creator of Friends on the Way, an e-resource for churches to teach families about the Bible and discipleship. Find it at www.TeamRCIA.com.
