Keeping out ticks and disease

The best way to avoid Lyme disease is to avoid the ticks that carry it. April through September is the peak of tick season, so now is the time to take extra precautions, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here's how:

Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.

Walk in the center of trails.

Use repellents that contain 20 percent to 30 percent DEET on exposed skin and clothing for protection that lasts up to several hours.

Treat clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks, and tents with products containing 0.5 percent permethrin, which lasts through several washings. Pretreated clothing is available and may provide longer-lasting protection.

Bathe or shower within two hours after coming indoors to wash off and more easily find ticks crawling on you.

Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body upon return from tick-infested areas. Parents should check their children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the navel, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in their hair.

Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and day packs.

Tumble clothes in a dryer on high heat for an hour to kill any remaining ticks.

SOURCE: www.cdc.gov/lymeEndText