With summer in full swing and as you spend more time outdoors enjoying the sunshine and nature, don’t forget to protect yourself, your family, and your pets from pesky bugs. In New York City, flies and mosquitoes can be a real pain and ticks can cause Lyme disease, an infectious disease that can cause a rash, fever, headache, body aches, and can have serious long-term health consequences.

 

Ticks are small eight-legged arachnids, related to spiders, that feed on the blood of people and animals. Ticks can spread bacteria, viruses and parasites to us and our pets. Ticks are known for carrying bacteria that cause Lyme disease. New York is experiencing a surge in ticks during the spring, summer and fall seasons, mainly due to climate change. We now have warmer and earlier spring seasons and warmer fall seasons. This means that ticks remain active for longer periods of time than in the past, so it is important to know how to prevent getting ticks, how to remove them quickly, and to know the symptoms of Lyme disease.

 

Preventing Ticks

Don’t let bugs ruin your summer fun! We are most likely to get ticks on our bodies and pets during outdoor activities in the woods or grassy fields, when dog walking, hiking, camping, bike riding, picnicking, or gardening.

 

You can reduce the chance of getting ticks on your family and pets by:

• using insect repellent with DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus;

• wearing lightweight, long-sleeve shirts, pants, and higher socks in wooded or grassy areas; and

• asking your vet about flea and tick prevention.

 

Removing Ticks

After returning from outdoor activities, try to shower within two hours. Before or during the shower, look for ticks on your body (behind knees, inside belly button, under arms, and around waist) and on your head and face (neck, ears, in and around the hair). A tick is about the size of a sesame seed, so make sure to look carefully! Do the same for children who can’t do so themselves and teach older children how to check their bodies. Put worn clothes in the wash and then drier to kill any ticks that might be attached to the fabric.

 

If you find a tick on your skin, don’t panic! Take tweezers and grab the head of the tick and gently pull it to ensure it doesn’t break, and that you remove the whole body. Next, clean the bitten area with alcohol or soap and wash your hands. Contact your medical provider immediately if you develop a fever, aches and pains or a circular or bulls’ eye shaped rash after a tick bite. These could be signs of Lyme disease.

 

In New York City, mosquitoes and flies are generally harmless to our health but make us annoyed and itchy! Reduce your chance of mosquito bites by wearing the insect repellent described above and avoiding peak mosquito hours- dawn and dusk. Keep the doors and windows of your home closed to keep bugs outside and use screens on your windows.

 

After spending quality time outdoors, take some time to cool off indoors and help the Montefiore Office of Community and Population Health by taking our survey so we can better serve you and your neighbors.

 

Every three years, hospitals ask community members who are 18 years of age and older to answer a 10-minute survey anonymously so we can develop a plan to improve health outcomes for all. To help us understand what is important to our community, visit this page: https://www.gnyhasurveys.org/CHNA and thank you for sharing your community health needs today for a healthier tomorrow!

 

Raisha Hernandez MA is a program manager at Montefiore Einstein’s Office of Community and Population Health.