Stern Warning From The CDC Means Everyone Should Assemble a Tick Kit
By now you may have seen the warnings about this tick season from the Centers for Disease Control. The agency recently released a new report that shows diseases transmitted through tick bites are a “growing public health problem” in the United States.
This means that 2018 will be a rough tick season and you need to be prepared. The CDC says, that the number of illnesses related to ticks has more than tripled nationwide, since 2004. Among the most concerning illnesses in the U.S. is Lyme disease. In fact, Lyme disease alone accounted for more than 75% of all tick, mosquito, and flea related illnesses!
A Tick Kit
Protecting yourself and your family from Lyme disease is where tick kits come in. Imagine giving your child a bath in the evening only to discover a tick buried in her skin! You may panic, but if you have a tick kit assembled, you’ll be prepared. By keeping all of the necessary tools at hand, parents don’t have to waste time!
And time is important. The longer a tick sits undetected and feeding, the higher the probability of infection. The sooner you remove the tick, the better. This time of year, it’s a good idea to do daily tick checks at bath time and keep a tick kit handy.
Here’s what your tick kit should include:
- Rubbing Alcohol or An Iodine Scrub
- Sealable Bags
- Fine-Tipped Tweezers
That’s it! Just store them all together in a container and breathe a sigh of relief.
Using the Kit
Remember, if you do find a tick, you’ll want to use the fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible. Then, pull upward at a steady pace and be sure the head comes out with the body. Next, use the alcohol to clean the bite area. Finally, place the tick inside the bag and seal it tightly.
After saving the tick you’ll want to record when and where the bite happened. Then consult your doctor for the next course of action. Usually an encounter with a tick ends with its quick removal.
Prevention
A tick kit will come in handy this tick season but be sure to sign up for a tick treatment program. A professional tick treatment program can use organic or synthetic methods to safely eliminate ticks in the area around your house.
Also, keep your yard trim and tidy. Ticks tend to hang out in long blades of grass, overgrown bushes, and yard debris.