Graduation? Summer? Beach fun? Bored children home on summer vacation, driving you crazy?! Well, yes, it is about time for all of that, but… we were talking about TICKS!
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), ticks and tickborne diseases are becoming a serious problem in this country as people increasingly build homes in formerly uninhabited wilderness areas where ticks and their animal hosts live. Tickborne diseases can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites. Most people become infected through tick bites during the spring and summer months.
More info from the NIH can be found here, including more specific information on tickborne diseases. Medline Plus, a service of the US National Library of Medicine, is also a great resource for information on treatment, prevention, symptoms & etc. TickBite also provides great information on how to create ‘tick free’ play areas around your home & other buffer method strategies. And last but not least, Stony Brook University, provides a great visual diagram that shows sizing of different types of ticks, which reminds us how difficult they can be to detect!
There is of course no need to stop having outdoor fun because of ticks! Just be safe & stay tick smart!