As Iowans get out to enjoy the spring, they should take precautions to avoid ticks.
Ticks thrive in wooded or grassy areas, and many people pick them up while gardening, hiking or taking part in other outdoor activities.
Ticks carry several diseases, including Lyme disease, a dangerous neurological condition.
Confirmed and probable cases of Lyme disease in Iowa jumped from 93 in 2010 to 201 in 2014 and 356 last year, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Of the cases reported last year, 84 were confirmed.
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How to avoid ticks
The best way to avoid ticks is to stay away from infested areas, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. The agency offers these tips to avoid ticks and the diseases they carry:
- When going into wooded areas or spots with tall grass, wear long-sleeved shirts and long, light-colored pants tucked into socks or boots.
- Stay on trails when walking or hiking and avoid high grass.
- Use insect repellants. Repellants that contain DEET should be used in concentrations no higher than 15% for children and 30% for adults, according to IDPH. (DEET is not recommended for use on infants.) Permethrin is a repellant that can be applied only to clothing, not exposed skin, IDPH says.
- Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks as soon as you get back home. Ticks tend to prefer the back of the knee, armpit, scalp, groin and back of the neck.
How should you remove a tick?
If you find a tick on your skin, you should promptly remove it.
The best way to do so is to grasp it with a tweezers by its mouth parts, which are close to the host’s skin. Do not squeeze the tick’s body. Pull steadily and directly away from the skin until the tick comes off, IDPH suggests.
Once removed, clean the resultant wound and disinfect the site of the bite.
Don’t use folk remedies, such as burning the tick with a match or covering it with Vaseline, as these may cause the tick to regurgitate, increasing the chance of infection from bacteria ticks carry, IDPH says.
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The bacteria is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected tick..
What causes Lyme disease?
According to IDPH, ticks are most likely to spread the Lyme disease bacterium during their pre-adult stage (nymph). Nymphs, which are brown, small and difficult to see, are more common from May to July.
After attaching them to a host, ticks feed on the host’s blood until they’re swollen to many times their normal size. IDPH reports that scientific data suggests that ticks need to remain attached for 24 to 48 hours before the host is infected with the bacterium.
What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?
Lyme disease affects various parts of the body, IDPH says. Not everyone who gets Lyme disease will experience the same symptoms.
The best and earliest sign of infection is a rash, called erythema migran, which appears in 60-80 percent of patients, according to IDPH. The EM rash usually appears at the site of the tick bite within a few days to a month. At first, it will be a small, red bump. Redness expands over the next few days and begins to look like a bull’s-eye.
If left untreated, multiple EM rashes may appear within three to five weeks after the tick bite, IDPH says. The appearance more than one rash is a sign that the infection has spread into the blood.
According to IDPH, additional symptoms can include:
- Mild eye infections
- Paralysis of the facial muscles
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Muscle and joint pain
- Abnormal heart rhythm (in less than 10 percent of cases)
IDPH says later symptoms of Lyme disease can appear months after the infection and last several years. Symptoms may include:
- Recurrent arthritis, commonly in the knees and shoulders
- Impairment of mood, sleep or memory
- Paralysis of the muscles in the face
- Pain or tingling in the extremities
- Meningitis and encephalitis
How do you treat Lyme disease?
Most people treated in the early stages of Lyme disease usually recover rapidly and completely, according to IDPH. Treatment can include antibiotics such as doxycycline, amoxicillin or cefuroxime. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has more information about types of Lyme disease and treatment.
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