The Truth about Ticks

• Tick bite? You have Lyme! – You can hear this a lot because some people think that when a tick bites you, you get the Lyme disease. No, this is not true! Not every tick spread Lyme and it's not only Lyme that is spread by ticks. There are more diseases which are at least as dangerous as Lyme disease and you be aware of them as well!

We have summarized for you the most common types of ticks and the diseases they can cause.

Ticks are tiny bugs most likely found in shady, damp, brushy, wooded, or grassy areas (especially in tall grass), including your own backyard. Different kinds of ticks feed on the blood of mammals (including people, dogs, cats, deer, and mice), birds, or reptiles (snakes and turtles, for example). Ticks do not fly or jump! They attach to animals or people that come into direct contact with them like walking in tall grass, or in bushes in the forest. Deer ticks, Dog ticks, and Lone star ticks can be found everywhere.

Diseases what they can cause to you:

• Black-legged tick can cause Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, Borrelia miyamotoi, and Powassan virus
• Dog ticks can spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever and certain types of tularemia
• Lone star ticks can cause tularemia, ehrlichiosis and southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI)

Not every illness that ticks can cause are dangerous to people, but most of them! Unfortunately, the symptoms of these are almost the same, that is why ticks are very dangerous because we cannot know which disease we suffer from.

What can you do when a tick bites you?

If you find a tick attached to your skin, don't panic. Use a pair of fine-point tweezers to grip the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out with steady pressure! Pay attention to not squeeze the tick because their saliva contains the bacteria which can cause diseases. Not every tick carries infections. Circle the calendar date and note where on the body the tick was removed. Talk to your doctor if you develop a rash where you were bitten or experience symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, or sore and aching muscles!

Prevention begins with you!

Take steps to reduce your chances of being bitten by any tick. Ticks are most active during warm weather, generally late spring through fall.  Ticks cling to vegetation and are most numerous in brushy, wooded, or grassy habitats.  When you are outside in an area likely to have ticks (e.g. brushy, wooded, or grassy places). Prevention is important. When you are walking in forests or in highly infected areas take some preventive actions: dress up properly (high shank socks, long-sleeved t-shirts, trousers …) and use tick repellents like TICKLESS, a non-chemical ultrasonic tick repellent is. Try to avoid the highly infected areas (long grass, bushes) and protect yourself and your family with TICKLESS.

Tickless Tick & Flea & Dust-mite Repellent Products