Is Lyme Disease Preventable?
Preventive clothing
Forests and woodland areas present various dangers, including the possibility of getting bitten by a tick, which can lead to Lyme disease. Thankfully there is a solution to that potential problem, as you can wear appropriate clothing while outside to prevent tick bites.
Make sure your clothes cover most of your body parts:
- Wear long-sleeve shirts to protect your arms
- Wear a hat
- Wear long pants to protect your legs
- Wear boots
- Wear clothes that are light so you can easily spot an insect on your clothing.
After your outdoor activities, make sure to wash your clothes in hot water, as it can kill any insects they may have climbed on your clothing.
Activity
Even though deer ticks are prevalent in the outdoors, the fact that they can’t fly or jump greatly reduces the area they can cover. For a tick to get on your body, it would have to crawl. While outside, avoid standing or sitting in one area for a long period of time, as this would give the ticks enough time to crawl up to your body.
Tick removal
Perform a thorough check of your body and clothes once you are inside. Looking for ticks is necessary, as they are not always easy to spot. Remember to check around creases, including the groin area and armpits where the ticks usually hide. Once you spot a tick, use tweezers to remove it from your skin. Using your fingers may crush the tick, but it will still be attached and will be spreading the bacteria. Tweezers can take hold of the tick right at the base, pulling it off safely and completely.
Pets
It is quite common for animals to get ticks, as they are commonly found outside playing in the grass. It is important to do a routine check of your pet every so often to detect if your pet has any ticks attached to it.
