Know How to Prevent Lyme Disea

Know where ticks live.

They're most commonly found in:

• marshy places
• woods and forests
• bushes, shrubs, and long grass (even in your own backyard!)

  When hiking, remember to stay on trails to avoid brushing against vegetation.

Wear the proper clothing. When in tick infested areas, light-colored clothing will help you spot ticks. Also wear:

• a hat
• a long-sleeved shirt (tucked into pants) with snug cuffs and collar
• pants tucked into socks
• shoes with closed toes

Use commercial insect repellents containing 20-30% DEET (N,N-diethl metatolamide) as indicated on the product label. Apply SPARINGLY to shoes, socks and pants, and exposed skin. Avoid overexposure or directs kin contact with products having more than 30% DEET particularly when treating children.

Check with your doctor if you experience a problem.

Should I spray my property for ticks?

Research is being done regarding the use of pesticides for tick control. However, spraying property for ticks can not completely eliminate your risk for Lyme Disease. Furthermore, extensive use of pesticides has been associated with other health risks. The most effective way to reduce the number of ticks in your yard is to mow your lawn regularly and keep shrubs and bushes trimmed.

Remember: you will not usually feel a tick bite. Therefore, you should check yourself from feet-to-head for deer ticks after you have been in grassy or wooded areas.

What About Pets?

Dogs, cats, horses, and cows can get Lyme Disease and may have signs and symptoms similar to those seen in humans. Pets can be early indicators of Lyme Disease in a household. Consult a veterinarian if you think your pet has Lyme Disease.

Animals can NOT transmit Lyme Disease to humans.

Proper way to Remove a Tick

1. First be sure to remove the tick as soon as it's discovered. A feeding tick can transmit Lyme Disease in a few hours.
2. Using fine-tipped tweezers, firmly grab the tick's mouth-parts as close to the skin as possible... you may have to dig into the skin a bit. Don't grab the tick's body, you could squeeze disease organisms into the bite.
3. Remove the tick with a slow steady pull. Then remove any mouthparts still in the skin as you would a splinter.
4. Using petroleum jelly, motor oil, or hot matches is not recommended for removing a tick- in some cases it may cause the tick to burrow deeper.
5. Apply an antiseptic to the bite, and wash your hands and the tweezers.
6. Don't try to crush the tick- they're tough and you may release disease organisms from inside the tick's body.

Tick Identification and Analysis

If you do find a tick and would like to have it identified or analyzed it is recommended that you follow the following protocol:

If the tick is still alive, put it in a puncture proof container (it is not necessary to put holes in the container for the tick to breathe- the tick may crawl out of the holes) and place a small piece of damped (with water not alcohol) paper towel in the container. Contact your physician about where to send the tick to get it analyzed to determine if it has the spirochete that causes Lyme Disease.

If the tick is dead, you can contact your local health department to find out where to take it to have it identified.

If you think you have been bitten by a tick and are experiencing symptoms you should contact your physician. If you have any questions regarding Lyme Disease in general contact the Middlesex County Health Department at (908)745-4100.

Brought to you by:

Middlesex County Health Department
Health Education Division
928 Livingston Avenue
North Brunswick, NJ 08902