Because of the warm and wet weather we’ve had this past spring, ticks are in abundance. The Fairfield Department of Health offers these tips to reduce your exposure to ticks and tick related diseases:

• Stick to main pathways and the center of trails when hiking.

• Wear long-sleeved, light-colored shirts and long pants tucked into your socks so you can see the ticks.

• Use repellents that contain DEET on your clothes or exposed skin and/or repellents that contain permethrin on your clothes.

• Keep grass cut short.

• Remove leaf litter and brush from around your home.

• Prune low lying bushes to let in more sunlight.

• Keep woodpiles and bird feeders off the ground and away from your home.

• Plant trees or flowers that do not attract deer and install a fence to keep deer from entering your property.

• Check yourself for ticks first and then other family members and pets.  Check along the hairline, between the toes, back of knees, groin, armpits, and neck behind the ears.

If you find a tick attached to your skin, the best way to remove it is to grasp the tick with tweezers and gently pull until the tick is removed. Don’t squeeze or crush it when pulling. Do not use a hot match on the tick.  This may irritate the tick and cause it to hold on more tightly.  Don’t pull too hard or you may leave mouth parts in your skin. 

Once the tick has been removed, disinfect the site and make sure you wash your hands. If you have a tick that was attached, keep it alive by placing it in a container, then put small piece of moist paper or tissue inside.   If you would like to have the tick tested for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever; bring it alive to the Fairfield Department of Health, 1587 Granville Pike in Lancaster, and we will send it to the Ohio Department of Health Vector Bourne Disease Lab.