Tick Talk

Old joke: What do you do to avoid a deadly shark attack? Head for the middle of the nearest city.

Unfortunately, as far as Lyme disease is concerned, that’s not a popular option for most Minnesotans, not when warm weather arrives and we avidly claim our birthright to the great outdoors. Not even a bloodsucking arachnid—and the potentially devastating illness it transmits—is likely to keep us away from the cabin or out of the woods come summer.

There are, luckily, some painless precautions—developed by the Minnesota Department of Health and other experts—to help us keep the deer tick and Lyme disease at bay. If we do get bit, there are signs and symptoms we can watch for to limit the infection the tick may have given us.

When in woody areas, wear light-colored long pants, socks, and shoes or boots. Tuck your pants into your socks or boots. Apply a repellent containing DEET or permethrin. Carefully examine yourself when you return to the cabin—no larger than a pinhead, even an adult deer tick is noticeably smaller than the common wood tick. If you find a tick, pull it slowly away from your skin with a tweezers and apply antiseptic. Deer ticks have to be attached for at least twenty-four hours to transmit the Lyme pathogen.

If you’re bitten by an infected tick, the prompter your response, the better. Signs and symptoms usually appearing within three to thirty days may include a “bull’s-eye” rash (red and typically round or ovoid, with a clearing in the middle) and such flu-like conditions as headache, fatigue, fever and chills, and/or muscle and joint pain. Without sufficient treatment, the following may develop later: partial facial paralysis (Bell’s palsy), numbness in arms and legs, concentration and memory problems, and severe arthritis.

Bottom line: If you’ve been in deer tick territory and have reason to think you’ve been infected (with or without all the symptoms and signs), contact your doctor. Early detection provides the best chance of effective treatment with antibiotics.