Tick Talk: How to stay safe from ticks this summer

HOUSTON COUNTY – It’s the hottest time of year, the time of year where most people spend their time outdoors. It is also the time when insects are getting ready for their meals, one of those insects being ticks.

Ticks are small parasitic animals that attach to the body of both humans and animals. According to Georgia Department of Public Health Public information Officer Michael Hokanson, when attached to the body, ticks can spread bacteria, viruses and parasites, which can cause disease in both humans and animals. 

Some of these tick-borne illnesses, according to Hokanson, include Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tularemia and Ehrlichiosis. 

Ticks are typically found in tall grasses, woods and any place outdoors where a person or animal can brush against. Ticks can get onto clothes, skin or the fur of an animal.

“Any place where there are high grasses, leaf litter, stacked wood. They can usually stand on the edges of the blades of grass or large weeds and then latch onto a person afterwards,” Hokanson said. 

Hokanson also shares a few safety tips. His first tip is knowing where to expect ticks, which are typically wooded areas. 

“If you are spending time outdoors, especially in the warmer months, you should expect to be in an area where there are ticks, especially here in Georgia. So, one of the best things you can do too is treat clothing and gear with anti-tick chemicals,” he said.

Hokanson also said there are products that contain 0.5 percent permethrin which can be used to treat boots, clothing and gear. People can also purchase clothing and equipment that already has the chemical.

“I know with the Georgia heat it’s kind of hard to do, but you can cover up your skin wearing long pants and long sleeves. That’s a little bit harder to do, but for any areas of skin that are exposed, you want to use EPA registered insect repellent,” he said.

Hokanson said an EPA search tool that lets people find which product is best suited for their needs. For example, if someone is going to a relatively well-maintained area versus the deep woods, people can search for which ingredients would be best. 

He said the ingredients that should be looked for are permethrin, deet, IR 3535, eucalyptus and other chemicals. 

“Using that search tool for EPA is definitely a good opportunity to find what’s right for your specific case,” he said. 

Hokanson said ticks can still latch on with proper precautions. He advises people to examine themselves, their clothing, gear and pets before coming back inside. 

He also advises to shower after going outdoors to wash everything off  and check further for ticks.

“There are more specific places ticks like more than others, or ticks are usually found more than others and those are usually places that are kind of hard to check sometimes. Crevices of the body ticks like are under the arms, in or out the ear, inside the belly button, back of the knees, in or around the hair, between the legs and around the waistline,” he said.

If a person finds a tick on their body, Hokanson advises to remove it as simply as possible. He said there are specialized tools and products that are designed to remove ticks, but the most common way is to a set of tweezers. 

“What you want to do is get that pincer part of the tweezers down to the skin and to the head of the tick that is embedded in your skin as close as possible and pull it out in one go,” he said.

Hokanson also adds people should not break or squish the tick with their fingers. He said when people are removing the tick they should keep it as whole as possible. If the tick bursts, there is an opportunity for exposure to bacteria, viruses and pathogens inside the tick.

Once the tick is removed, he advises people to flush it down the toilet, throw it in the garbage can or bag it to make sure it’s out of the house. 

Hokanson said DPH wants the public to be mindful when they are outdoors; even if you are tick prepared, it’s important to still check after being outside. 

“Even if you think you are the most confident person in the world about protecting yourself against ticks, always make sure that you are doing that second thing of checking yourself after you come back in. You definitely don’t want to have a tick bite you and sit there for days and days and have the possibility of contracting a tick-borne illness because you were overconfident,” he said. 

For more tips on how to stay tick safe this summer visit DPH’s website.