The time of year for peak exposure to disease-bearing ticks is here and a state epidemiologist Diep Hoang Johnson has a few tips to keep from getting sick.
Ticks carry Lyme disease and other ailments. Dr. Hoang Johnson says the peak time is from now until fall, with the peak in June and July. To lower your chance of infection, she recommends...
"....when you go outside you should use some kind of insect repellent(DEET). You can spray that on clothing..."
She says protective clothing is effective. Wear long pants and tuck the pants into your socks. When you get back from outdoors, do a complete exam because if you can remove the ticks before they get attached to your skin, you are ahead. She says to shower at the first opportunity. She says remove ticks with tweezers and pull the tick near the skin. She says pull firmly and try to prevent the head from staying attached to you.
She says last year, there were more than 3,400 cases of tick-born diseases, with the wide majority being cases of Lyme disease. She says ticks at one time were confined to northern areas of Wisconsin, but now can be found in all parts of the state.
