Spring is tick season, what you need to know to stay safe

When most people think of ticks and other outside pests, they probably picture summer. But spring marks the beginning of an uptick in tick activity. 

Ryan Tekac, the Environmental Director for the Mahoning County Board of Health, explains that some types of ticks have been active for months, but the most significant increase in bites begins in early spring. 

"Some ticks are active all year round. So if you take your pets out during the winter time, and we get a seasonal winter where it's warm, ticks can be out there," Tekac said. "Spring, summer, and fall months, when we're most active outside as well."

A mild winter may mean an increase in tick activity in the Valley. However, officials won't know for sure until we're already in the season. 

"They are saying, potentially, yes. What we need to do is be aware and educate the public on what they can do to protect themselves," said Tekac. 

That education comes down to four main facets: protect, check, remove, and watch. 

When it comes to protection, the most important aspect is keeping ticks from getting on to your body. 

Tekac said, "Make sure you're using some type of product, a DEET product, or another type of product that can protect you from having a tick, or any type of, even a mosquito, latch on. Even wearing long sleeves, tucking your pant legs into your boots or into your socks to prevent that tick from crawling up on you."

If you'd rather not use DEET, choose a picaridin option, or another EPA-approved, registered product. You can search insect repellant options on the EPA's website.

If you head out into the yard or trails, be sure to check for ticks immediately after. 

"Check yourself, check your kids, check your pets," Tekac said. 

The CDC suggests using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Check these parts of your body and your child’s body for ticks:

• Under the arms
• In and around the ears
• Inside belly button
• Back of the knees
• In and around the hair
• Between the legs
• Around the waist

Also, Tekac recommends taking a shower within two hours of coming indoors to knock off any ticks that haven't yet embedded themselves into your skin, and any clothing can be put in the dryer on high heat to try to kill the insects. 

When it comes to your pets, they'll also need a thorough evaluation after they're outside. 

The CDC says checking in and around the ears, eyelids, tail, toes, and leg joints are the best places to check. Experts also suggest talking to a veterinarian about the right flea and or tick repellant for your animal. 

The CDC notes that cats can be very susceptible to certain chemicals and shouldn't be given tick repellant without consulting with a veterinarian first. 

If you find a tick embedded into your skin, it's essential to remove it properly. 

Tekac said never use "folk" remedies. "Do not use petroleum jelly, nail polish, or any other "folk" remedy to remove a tick, these methods do not work," he said.

"The old method used to be to use fire or heat to try to remove it. They no longer want you to do that because it can allow the tick to regurgitate and potentially put the virus or bacteria inside of you,"  Tekac said. "Now you take tweezers, grab it as close as you can to the skin, and then pull that tick out slowly, and wash the area with water."

Experts say you want to carefully grab the tick at the hardest part of its body, the head. Gently pull in a vertical motion until the tick comes off. 

According to the CDC, if a portion of the tick's mouth stays stuck in your skin, do not pick or pry at it, it will fall out on its own. 

Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.

Then it's important to watch. 

Tekac said, "You want to watch for any signs or symptoms, typically a fever or a rash are is what you would develop first."

The most common symptoms of tick-related illnesses are:

• Fever/chills: With all tickborne diseases, patients can experience a fever at varying degrees and time of onset.
• Aches and pains: Tickborne disease symptoms include headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. With Lyme disease, you may also experience joint pain. The severity and time of onset of these symptoms can depend on the disease and the patient’s personal tolerance level.
• Rash: Lyme disease, southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis, and tularemia can result in distinctive rashes:
• In Lyme disease, the rash may appear within 3-30 days, typically before the onset of fever. The Lyme disease rash is the first sign of infection and is usually a circular rash called erythema migrans or EM. This rash occurs in approximately 70-80% of infected persons and begins at the site of a tick bite. It may be warm but is not usually painful. Some patients develop additional EM lesions in other areas of the body several days later.
• The rash of (STARI) is nearly identical to that of Lyme disease, with a red, expanding “bull's eye” lesion that develops around the site of a lone star tick bite. Unlike Lyme disease, STARI has not been linked to any arthritic or neurologic symptoms.
• The rash seen with Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) varies greatly from person to person in appearance, location, and time of onset. About 10% of people with RMSF never develop a rash. Most often, the rash begins 2-5 days after the onset of fever as small, flat, pink, non-itchy spots (macules) on the wrists, forearms, and ankles and spreads to the trunk. It sometimes involves the palms and soles. The red to purple, spotted (petechial) rash of RMSF is usually not seen until the sixth day or later after onset of symptoms and occurs in 35-60% of patients with the infection.
• In the most common form of tularemia, a skin ulcer appears at the site where the organism entered the body. The ulcer is accompanied by swelling of regional lymph glands, usually in the armpit or groin.
• In about 30% of patients (and up to 60% of children), ehrlichiosis can cause a rash. The appearance of the rash ranges from macular to maculopapular to petechial and may appear after the onset of fever.

Tickborne diseases can result in mild symptoms treatable at home to severe infections requiring hospitalization.

Although easily treated with antibiotics, these diseases can be difficult for physicians to diagnose.

Symptoms of a tickborne illness can take up to 56 days to appear after the initial bite. 

Much like mosquitoes, there are some steps you can take around the outside of your home to prevent ticks from moving closer. 

Here are some simple landscaping techniques that can help reduce black-legged tick populations:

• Remove leaf litter.
• Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edge of lawns.
• Place a 3-ft wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas.
• Mow the lawn frequently.
• Stack wood neatly and in a dry area (discourages rodents).
• Keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees.
• Discourage unwelcome animals (such as deer, raccoons, and stray dogs) from entering your yard by constructing fences.
• Remove old furniture, mattresses, or trash from the yard that may give ticks a place to hide.