DETROIT – As people take advantage of the summer weather and all that the outdoors has to offer, it’s important to remember that it is tick season.
---> Michigan tick season: Most common, how to prevent bites, how to remove them
Tick populations have steadily increased over the years and now they are making their homes in the same places as our homes.
Ticks can carry and transmit many different diseases. Here in Michigan, the biggest concern is Lyme disease. While it’s still relatively uncommon in Michigan there has been a steady increase in cases with more ticks.
Doctors want everyone -- especially kids -- to enjoy the outdoors, but parents should get in the habit of checking for ticks.
“You want to check in kind of the crevices of your body. In your armpit, along your waistband, in your belly button -- those are really common places for the tick to kind of crawl into and hide. They can be hard ones to find.” said Dr. Heather Burrow, a University of Michigan Health Pediatrician. “Behind your ears and in your hairline are other places that it can be helpful to have somebody else just check for you to see if they see the signs of those ticks.”
Burrows said it’s also important to check your pets too.
“It is a good idea when your dog is gone for a walk to go ahead and check them,” Burrows said. “They like the same places on dogs that they like on humans. So, behind the ears, in between the toe pads can be tricky places where ticks can find a home on your dog.”
To reduce the chance of a tick bite, she recommends -- if possible -- wearing long sleeves and pants and tucking your pants into your socks so there isn’t an opening for ticks to enter.
Insect repellant with DEET is also effective at keeping ticks away, but it’s not a guarantee, so skin checks are still important.
What happens if you find a tick?
“Don’t get too concerned right away when you find a tick. They have to be on your body and biting you for about 24 to 36 hours before they spread any infection,” Burrows said. “So, you got plenty of time to get that off.”
If you’re bitten by a tick and aren’t feeling well, you should speak with your doctor right away. A suspicious tick bite is initially treated with an antibiotic.
Lyme disease, if left untreated, can cause extreme and debilitating illness that is complicated to treat once it’s started. The blacklegged and deer ticks are the ones in Michigan that typically spread Lyme disease, but it’s not the most common tick in the state.
Michigan residents can get a tick identified for free through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
You can email a picture of the tick to MDHHS-Bugs@michigan.gov, or you can mail the tick to the MDHHS. Tick submission kits can be picked up at your local health department.