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Lyme Disease is by far the most famous Tick-Borne
disease we know, especially in Pennsylvania.
Known for its almost insidious way of attacking the
body, Lyme Disease infects thousand each year, but
this is far from the only tick-borne disease.
Two others found in PA are
Babesiosis
and Ehrlichiosis.
There are others as
well, although some of these disease are not an issue
in Pennsylvania, those of you going on out of state
detail will need to be aware of these other threats
as well. Most people know that Lyme Disease is
carried by the Deer Tick (Ixodes Scapularis) however
this tick is also known as the Black Legged Tick.
What does this common tick species look like though,
where is it commonly found, and most importantly how
can we keep it off of us? I am not going to
answer the first two questions, but rather direct
you to some resources that can answer them far
better than I ever could. Click the links
below to learn about Lyme Disease, and other
tick-borne diseases and the ticks that carry them.
The best cure for tick-borne diseases is to not get
them in the first place and the best way to not get
them is to keep the ticks away. We can
accomplish this in a number of ways. The first
is to hibernate indoors, never going outside and if
you do go outside stay well away from, trees,
shrubs, grass, fallen leaves, or any other thing
that could provide habitat for ticks. One
could go out and roam around through the forests and
fields and just not worry about it because "ticks
aren't a danger to me." Better yet, we can
prepare for the very real possibility that ticks are
present in many if not all of the places we frequent
in the great outdoors. Be it through work or
play, nearly everyone runs the risk of coming in
contact with ticks and the diseases they carry.
There are 2 common repellants effective for ticks.
The first and better known is DEET which is
available in nearly all common insect repellants
available in nearly any store. DEET based
repellants are applied directly to the skin and hair
and can be applied to clothing, but are most
effective when applied directly to the skin and
hair. Read the label; the more DEET, the
better it will protect. The second of these is
Permethrin. Permethrin is applied only to
clothing and must be allowed to dry completely
before wearing the clothing. Permethrin
should never be applied to skin or hair and should
be washed off immediately (before it dries) with
soap and water if you come in direct contact with
it. Permethrin will remain on your clothing
even through several washings, up to about 6 weeks,
after which time it will need a new application.
Even with this, you should still ask someone you
know and trust, be it a co-worker, friend, or even
better, your significant other (Husband, Wife,
Boyfriend, Girlfriend) to check you for ticks hiding
in places you couldn't possibly look. This is
not a time for modesty. It is downright
serious. Ticks naturally tend to hide in
places we all consider personal and private, but not
having someone check these places that we cannot see
on our own could be dangerous or even deadly.
If a tick bites you and or is attached to you, it is
always best to err on the side of caution. Do
not attempt to remove an attached tick unless you
have proper equipment. Never use things such
at Dawn dish detergent, Vaseline, a lighter or
match, or anything for that matter that is not
designed to quickly remove the tick from the head
end. These other methods can cause the tick to
back-dump, releasing the harmful bacteria and or
parasites into you which is exactly what you are
trying to avoid. If you are able to remove the
tick, place it in some sort of container (e.g. empty
film container or pill bottle), seek medical
attention right away and remember to take the tick
with you for identification by the doctor. If
you are not properly equipped to remove the tick, do
not attempt to do so. Go to a hospital ER or
Urgent Care type facility and they will be able to
remove the tick, identify it and treat you
accordingly. The earlier such diseases are
treated the better off you will be. Many
doctors will treat the very threat of Lyme Disease
with pre-emptive antibiotics.
Special thanks to Robert (Marty) Martynowych of DCNR
Bureau of Forestry for his assistance and
contributions to this page.
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