Latest News • Protect Yourself: Safety Tips for Tick Season – DuPage County Health Department

May 9, 2024
For immediate publication

Protect Yourself: Tick Season Safety Tips for a Healthy Outdoor Summer

  Comté de DuPage – When the time comes, the Comté de DuPage Department of Health (DCHD) urges residents to protect themselves and their families from bad transmissions, for all ticket prices that benefit from the fresh air activities. Ticks pose a threat all year round, but are most active from April to September and live in grassy, ​​bush and forest areas or on animals.

Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and other tick-borne illnesses can cause fever, headache, rash, flu-like illness, and other symptoms that can be serious.

Check children, pets, and yourself for ticks daily when you return from outside, including your own yard. It is particularly important to examine under the arms, in and around the ears, in the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist and at the hairline and scalp. If you spot a tick on your skin, safely remove it as quickly as possible. Removing ticks promptly can reduce the risk of illness.

How to remove a tick :

• Use thin, clean tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the surface of the skin as possible.
• Pull upwards with constant, even pressure. Do not twist or shake the tick. If the mouthparts break off and you cannot easily remove them with tweezers, leave them alone and allow the skin to heal.
• After removing the tick, clean the tweezers or tick removal tool with alcohol and clean the bite site and hands thoroughly with alcohol or soap and water.
• Never crush a tick with your fingers. Remove a live tick by:
  1. put it in alcohol
  2. Place it in a sealed bag/container.
  3. Wrap it tightly in tape, or
  4. I throw it in the toilet.

If you develop a rash or fever a few weeks after removing a tick, contact your doctor. Tell your doctor about your recent tick bite, the date it occurred, and where you likely acquired the tick. Early treatment is crucial.

To prevent tick bites and illness , follow these important tips:

• Know where to expect ticks.
• Use EPA-registered insect repellents. Treat clothing and equipment with permethrin.
• Treat dogs and cats for ticks according to a veterinarian's recommendations.
• Shower shortly after spending time outdoors.

DuPage County residents with questions about ticks can contact the health department at (630) 682-7400. DCHD offers tick removal kits to health department residents. Find a DCHD location near you at www.dupagehealth.org/Facilities . For more information, see Tick-borne diseases | DuPage County, Illinois and Illinois Tick Surveillance Health Map (arcgis.com).

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