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Lyme Disease Prevention and Control
Avoid tick habitats: Whenever possible, avoid entering
areas that are likely to be infested with ticks, particularly in
spring and summer when nymphal ticks feed. Ticks favor a moist,
shaded environment, especially areas with leaf litter and low-lying
vegetation in wooded, brushy or overgrown grassy habitat. Both deer
and rodent hosts must be abundant to maintain the enzootic cycle of
B. burgdorferi. Sources for information on the distribution
of ticks in an area include state and local health departments, park
personnel, and agricultural extension services.
Use personal protection measures:
If you are going to be in areas that are tick infested, wear
light-colored clothing so that ticks can be spotted more easily and
removed before becoming attached. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and
tucking pants into socks or boot tops may help keep ticks from
reaching your skin. Ticks are usually located close to the ground,
so wearing high rubber boots may provide additional protection.
The risk of tick attachment can also be reduced by applying insect
repellents containing DEET (n,n-diethyl-m toluamide) to clothes and
exposed skin, and applying permethrin (which kills ticks on contact)
to clothes. DEET can be used safely on children and adults but
should be applied according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
guidelines to reduce the possibility of toxicity.
Perform a tick check and remove attached ticks: The
transmission of
B. burgdorferi (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease) from
an infected tick is unlikely to occur before 36 hours of tick
attachment. For this reason, daily checks for ticks and promptly
removing any attached tick that you find will help prevent
infection. Embedded ticks should be removed using fine-tipped
tweezers. DO NOT use petroleum jelly, a hot match, nail polish, or
other products. Grasp the tick firmly and as closely to the skin as
possible. With a steady motion, pull the tick's body away from the
skin. The tick's mouthparts may remain in the skin, but do not be
alarmed. The bacteria that cause Lyme disease are contained in the
tick's midgut or salivary glands. Cleanse the area with an
antiseptic.
Taking preventive antibiotics after a tick bite: The
relative cost-effectiveness of post-exposure treatment of tick bites
to avoid Lyme disease in endemic areas (areas where the disease is
known to occur regularly) is dependent on the probability of
B. burgdorferi infection after a tick bite. In most
circumstances, treating persons who only have a tick bite is not
recommended. Individuals who are bitten by a deer tick should remove
the tick promptly, and may wish to consult with their health care
provider. Persons should promptly seek medical attention if they
develop any
signs and symptoms of early Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, or
babesiosis.
Strategies to reduce tick abundance: The number of ticks in
endemic residential areas may be reduced by removing leaf litter,
brush- and wood-piles around houses and at the edges of yards, and
by clearing trees and brush to admit more sunlight and reduce the
amount of suitable habitat for deer, rodents, and ticks. Tick
populations have also been effectively suppressed through the
application of pesticides to residential properties. Community-based
interventions to reduce deer populations or to kill ticks on deer
and rodents have not been extensively implemented, but may be
effective in reducing the community-wide risk of Lyme disease. New
approaches such as deer feeding stations equipped with pesticide
applicators to kill ticks on deer, and baited devices to kill ticks
on rodents, are currently under evaluation.
Additional Lyme
Disease Information
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