The Rockland County Department of Health reminds residents to stay alert for ticks while spending time outdoors this fall as the insects can remain active until temperatures drop below freezing or the ground is covered in snow. A bite from an infected tick can spread illnesses such as Lyme disease, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis.
If you are hiking, hunting, gardening, raking leaves, or enjoying other outdoor activities this fall, take steps to protect yourself, your family, and your pets from tick bites and tick-borne illnesses:
- Dress to protect. Wear light-colored clothing, long sleeves, long pants, socks, and closed-toe shoes such as sneakers or boots. This can help prevent tick bites and make ticks easier to spot.
- Use insect repellent. Use an EPA-approved (Environmental Protection Agency) insect repellent and follow the label for directions. Some repellents should only be used on clothing and not on skin. Talk to your child’s doctor before using repellent on children. Never let children apply repellent themselves.
- Stay on cleared, well-traveled trails. Avoid wooded or overgrown areas, tall grass, heavy leaf litter, and poorly maintained trails where ticks may be found.
- Check for ticks daily. Check your skin and clothing for ticks after spending time outdoors. Pay close attention to your thighs, groin, waist, and armpits.
- Remove ticks quickly and safely. Remove ticks as soon as possible with fine-tipped tweezers. Grasp the tick close to your skin and pull it straight up with steady pressure. Do not twist or squeeze the tick. After removing the tick, clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. For help, contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticultural Lab.
Contact your health care provider right away if you develop symptoms, such as a circular “bull’s-eye” reddish rash (called erythema migrans) or flu-like symptoms including tiredness, headache, stiff neck, slight fever, swollen glands, muscle or joint pain after a tick bite.
For more information, visit our Tick-borne Disease Education and Prevention Program and the New York State Department of Health.
On the Elizabeth Islands at Cape Cod MA we have huge numbers of ticks and all the allergies and illnesses that go along with them. We also have no pavement or vehicles so we are into tick habitat as soon as we step out the door. To defend ourselves we have developed an oversock to stop ticks on the foot and lower leg where they often hop on. We chose a tight-weave parachute fabric so that even the tiniest ticks can’t get through, and found a fabric that is light and breathable but tough, and we used a turndown at the knee to stop ticks from climbing. We treat these at Insect Shield in NC so that they are double protection: repelling ticks with permethrin and blocking access to skin with an unbroken barrier over the foot to the knee. We had a lot of interest outside our island community so we sewed up a big batch in Fall River MA and have made them available. Search Ticktogs if you think they might help you like they have helped us. They have cut way back on our tick bites.