Tick Bite
Home Care Advice - How to Prevent a Tick Bite
- Prevention - General:
- Prevention is important if you are hiking in tick-infested areas.
- Wear long pants and a long shirt. Tuck your shirt into your pants. Tuck the cuffs of your pants into your socks or boots. Light-colored clothing is better because the ticks can be seen more easily.
- Inspect your entire body and your clothing every couple hours. Ticks like to hide in your hair; so be certain to check your scalp, neck, armpits, and groin.
- A shower at the end of a hike will help rinse off any tick that is not firmly attached.
- Prevention with Insect Repellent - DEET:
- DEET is a very effective tick repellent. It also repels mosquitoes and other bugs.
- Apply to exposed areas of skin. Do not apply to eyes, mouth or irritated areas of skin. Remember to wash it off with soap and water when you return indoors.
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women may use DEET. No problems have been reported. [Source: Insect Repellent Use and Safety, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]
- Be certain to read the package instructions on any product that you use.
- Prevention with Insect Repellent for Your Clothing - Permethrin:
- Permethrin-containing products (e.g., Duranon, Permanone, and Congo Creek Tick Spray) are highly effective mosquito repellents. They also repel ticks.
- An advantage over using DEET is that they are applied to and left on clothing instead of skin. Apply it to clothes before putting them on. You can also put it on other outdoor items (shoes, mosquito screen, sleeping bags).
- Do not apply permethrin to skin (Reason: it's rapidly degraded on contact with skin).
- Be certain to read the package instructions on any product that you use.
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