Warm weather not only brings sun and fun; it also brings pests outdoors. This spring and summer, protect yourself and your children from Lyme disease, an illness caused by the deer tick.
The Virginia Beach Department of Public Health offers parents the following tips:
- Avoid tick-infested areas like tall grass and dense vegetation, and walk in the center of mowed trails to avoid brushing against vegetation.
- Eliminate the living places of small rodents.
- Wear light-colored clothing so that ticks are easier to see and remove.
- When working outside, tuck pant legs into socks and boots and wear long-sleeved shirts buttoned at the wrists. Conduct tick checks on yourself, your children and your pets every few hours while outdoors.
- Apply tick repellent to areas of the body and clothing that may come in contact with grass and brush. Select repellents specifically for ticks. Products that have 30 percent DEET or 0.5 percent permethrin are effective in repelling ticks.
- Ask your veterinarian to recommend tick control methods for your pets. Animals can get Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but they can’t transmit the diseases to humans.
If a tick bites you or a family member, do the following:
- Use a fine‐point tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
- Gently pull the tick straight out.
- Place the tick in a small bottle or zip lock bag labeled with the patient's name, addressed, and the date tick was removed. Do not add alcohol or preservative.
- Have the tick identified/tested by a lab, health department or veterinarian.
- Wash your hands. Disinfect the bite site and the tweezers.
- Seek immediate treatment from your doctor.
| SYMPTOMS OF LYME DISEASE |
| Joint pain and/or swelling |
Speech difficulty (slurred or slow, word finding) |
| Stiffness of joints, back, neck |
Seizures/stroke symptoms |
| Muscle pain, cramps |
Blurry or double vision, sight change |
| Heel pain |
Sensitivity to light and flashing lights |
| Twitching of facial or other muscles |
Mood swings, irritability |
| Restless legs |
Unusual depression |
| Headache, persistent and severe |
Panic/anxiety attacks |
| Numbness and tingling |
Aggression/rage |
| Weakness or partial paralysis |
Insomnia or sleeping too much |
| Light‐headedness or dizziness |
Obsessive‐compulsive behavior |
| Poor balance, difficulty walking |
Suicidal thoughts |
| Burning and stabbing pains |
Paranoia |
| Bells Palsy (facial paralysis) |
Tinnitus (ringing) |
| Memory loss (short or long term) |
Sound sensitivity |
| Confusion (difficulty with thinking) |
Recurring bronchial infections |
| Shortness of breath |
Jaw pain |
| Chest pain/rib soreness |
Swollen/painful lymph glands |
| Night sweats or chills |
Chemical sensitivity/increased allergic reactions |
| Heart palpitations, murmurs, valve prolapse, heart block |
Skin changes/nodules under the skin, dryness |
| Extreme fatigue |
Flu‐like symptoms followed by intermittent illness |
| Sore throat |
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