Tick season has arrived. Physicians are seeing new cases of tick-borne illness several weeks earlier than usual, likely because a mild winter in much of the country made life easier for ticks and their offspring. That means it's time for gardeners, hikers, pet owners and others who spend time outdoors to protect themselves — and to watch for symptoms of tick-borne illness if they do come in contact with the tiny bloodsuckers.
"We've already started getting positives for tick-borne disease such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis," says Bobbi Pritt, M.D., a Mayo Clinic microbiologist and director of the Clinical Parasitology and Virology Laboratories. That is a month or two earlier than normal for Minnesota and other states with unusually warm weather in recent months are likely seeing the same.
Dr. Pritt says there are several things people can do to protect themselves from ticks.
- Stay away from tall grasses, shrubs, leaf litter.
- Use insect repellent, such as DEET.
- Keep grass short in yards and avoid ungroomed areas.
- Wear long clothing to prevent ticks from getting to your skin.
- Check yourself, your children and your pets after spending time outdoors.
- To reduce risk on hikes, stay on trails. If you leave the path, wear long pants tucked into your socks.
- If you find ticks, remove them right away. Use force and pinch the tick near its mouth parts, pulling the tick out slowly in a continuous motion. Don't twist it, which may leave mouth parts embedded in the skin.
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