HSHS Hospitals Say Summer Time is Tick Time

With the official start of summer here, many are spending more time outdoors in areas where ticks are active. The HSHS Illinois hospitals including HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham offer the following tips and reminders to help everyone recognize and treat tick-related incidents.

Ticks live in wooded areas and areas with high grass and crawl on to people and animals as they brush against leaves or grass. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, there are two common types of ticks that spread disease to animals and humans: deer (blacklegged) tick and wood (American dog) ticks. Wood ticks have whitish markings on the body, while deer ticks are reddish to dark brown in appearance without white markings. Deer ticks are also usually smaller.

Deer ticks are a known carrier of Lyme disease. With Lyme disease, illness usually occurs within 3 to 30 days after being exposed to an infected deer tick. Symptoms may include rash, flu-like symptoms (headache, fever, muscle aches and joint pain) and enlarged lymph nodes.

The most common illnesses, other than Lyme disease, are anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis. Anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis are also transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected deer tick. Illness usually occurs within 1 to 3 weeks after being exposed to an infected tick. Symptoms may include fever, chills, muscle pain, severe headache, and fatigue.

If you are experiencing the above symptoms and think you’ve been exposed to an infected tick, call your primary care provider to determine if you should schedule an appointment or seek medical treatment. You can also seek care from the comfort of home with HSHS Medical Group’s virtual visits at www.anytimecare.com.

How to Reduce Your Risk of Getting a Tick Bite

• Dress appropriately: wear light-colored clothing (ticks are easier to detect on light-colored clothing), long pants and sleeves; tuck in shirts, tuck pants into socks and wear closed-toed shoes.
• Use insect repellents on skin that contain at least 20 percent DEET (Do not use insect repellent on children younger than 2 months old, or on a child’s hands, eyes or mouth).
• Use permethrin-treated clothing and gear or treat your gear and clothing with permethrin before departure.
• Stay out of tall grass, brush or heavily wooded areas.

How to Properly Remove a Tick

• Use tweezers to grasp the tick (as close to the skin as possible).
• Pull backwards gently but firmly, using an even pressure, do not twist or jerk.
• Do not squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick. This can cause the tick to inject body fluids and increase the risk for infection.
• After removing the tick, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.
• Note: If any part of the mouth of the tick remains in the skin, it’s recommended to leave it alone as it will come out on its own. Attempting to remove these parts may result in skin trauma and increase your risk of infection not associated with Lyme disease.

You may have heard about common remedies for removing ticks such as smoldering with a match; however, this is not recommended as it may burn the skin and increase risk of infections. Using nail polish, petroleum jelly, liquid soap or kerosene is also not recommended. Although these products may help to remove the tick, they can cause the tick to inject body fluids into the wound, which may increase the risk of Lyme disease.

To learn more about ticks and tick-borne diseases, please visit www.dph.illinois.gov, and search for “ticks” in the search bar at the top of the home page.