By Jennifer Dunlay

Summer weather means more opportunities to get outdoors for a walk or hike and get bit by a tick or mosquito. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says tick activity and tick density is high resulting in more than 200 laboratory reports of tickborne diseases as of May 29.

The Johnson County Department of Health and Environment suggests taking these precautions to minimize the risk of tick and mosquito bites, so you stay healthy this summer:

• Wear insect repellent. Use an EPA-approved insect repellent (i.e., DEET, picaridin, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), IR3535, para-menthane-diol (PMD) or 2-undecanone) and follow label instructions. If you are using sunscreen, apply the sunscreen first and insect repellent second. Reapply insect repellent every few hours, depending on the product and strength you choose.
• Wear long sleeves, pants, socks and shoes. Tuck shirts into pants and tuck pants into socks. Mornings, late afternoons and evenings are peak mosquito times. Cover your exposed skin with clothing and spray clothing with DEET or permethrin or another EPA-registered repellent to give yourself extra protection.
• Walk in the center of trails. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals. When you’re out enjoying the many parks and trails in Johnson County, walk in the center of trails and avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
• Check clothing and gear. After you come indoors, check your clothing and body for ticks and shower within two hours to wash off unattached ticks. Carefully examine pets, coats and daypacks for ticks, too. Consult your veterinarian about routine flea and tick preventative medication for your pets.

If you find a tick attached to your skin, remove the tick as soon as possible with fine-tipped tweezers. Pull upward with steady, even pressure to remove the tick. Don’t twist or jerk the tick. After removing the tick, clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says to avoid folklore such as “painting” the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible – not waiting for it to detach.

Seek medical attention from a health care provider if you experience fever/chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, muscle aches, a stiff neck or a rash following a tick or mosquito bite. Tell the provider when and where the bite occurred.

Testing ticks for tickborne diseases is not recommended or available in Johnson County. However, you can send a photo of a tick for identification by contacting the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at clientcare@vet.k-state.edu or 866-512-5650.

Jennifer Dunlay is risk communicator at the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment.