Early indicators suggest this spring is ushering in an active tick season. Emergency room visits for tick bites are higher than normal for the Northeast, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
At the start of May, the weekly rates for tick bites were the highest for this time of year since 2017.
Do you cringe at the thought of one of these arachnids hooking into your skin for a little blood meal?
Experts at the CDC say prevention is one of the best forms of protection. If you find a tick anchored into your skin, remove it as soon as possible – removing ticks within 24 hours can help prevent Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is the most common tickborne disease reported in New Hampshire. The others are, according to the state health department, are anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus, and Borrelia miyamotoi.
Taylor Quimby, host of the NHPR podcast Patient Zero, has advice on tickborne illnesses and how not to get bit in the first place:
- Dress for success: Wear long sleeves and light-colored pants, nothing too loose. And consider it seasonal chic: pull the top of your socks over your pants.
- Repellants. There are a number of skin-based repellants. For clothing, choose repellants for fabric like permethrin.
- Tick check. After you’re outdoors, check yourself for possible ticks. Depending on your activity, do multiple checks. Check your legs and arms, and other areas where ticks can hide, like your armpits, scalp, back of your legs, and waist bands.
Related: What to do if you’ve been bitten by a tick: Step one, don’t panic.
