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Programs -> Disease Surveillance -> Tick-borne Diseases ->Tick Prevention and Removal
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Tick Prevention and Removal:
How can I protect myself and my family from getting ticks?
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| Tick Protection |
- Wear long pants and long-sleeved clothing and shoes covering the toes when in "tick country". DON'T wear shorts, sandals, or sleeveless shirts!
- Wear light colored clothing so ticks can be easily seen and removed before they become attached to the skin.
- Tuck pants into socks or boots, and shirt into pants.
- Use insect repellant on shoes, socks, pants, and shirt. Restrict the use of insect repellents to only exposed skin (use sparingly) or clothing following label directions. DO NOT APPLY REPELLENTS TO THE FACE. Contrary to some advertisements, there is no special formula repellent for ticks; most repellents contain the same active ingredient- DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide). Children should not apply concentrations of DEET higher than 10%.
- Choose wide trails and walk in the center of the trail. Avoid brushy and grassy areas and off-the-trail hikes.
- THOROUGHLY CHECK YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN FREQUENTLY FOR TICKS. YOU AND YOUR FAMILY CAN CONTINUE TO ENJOY OUR GREAT PARKS AND OPEN SPACE AREAS BY FOLLOWING THE ABOVE GUIDELINES FOR PERSONAL PROTECTION.
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What should I do if I am bitten by a tick?The amount of time it takes for an infected bite to transmit the bacterial agent varies for each disease, PROMPT REMOVAL OF TICKS CAN HELP PREVENT DISEASE TRANSMISSION.
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| Tick removal |
- Grasp the tick with a tissue or tweezers, (NEVER WITH YOUR BARE HANDS!) as close to your skin as possible. If ticks are crushed with bare fingertips, exposure to the tick body fluids may lead to transmission of the disease organisms.
- GENTLY pull the tick from the skin. DO NOT TWIST OR UNSCREW THE TICK. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE BY BURNING WITH CIGARETTE OR BY APPLYING VASELINE, KEROSENE, ETC.
- Apply an antiseptic to the bite area after removing the tick. Wash your hands with soap and water.
- SAVE THE TICK FOR IDENTIFICATION AND TESTING! Ticks can be submitted to the district for testing . Simply place the tick in a plastic ziplock bag inside an outer ziplock bag containing a wet paper towel. Ticks can be brought to the District office or it can also be submitted to the County Health Laboratory. Their phone number is (650) 573-2500. The are located at 225 West 37th Street, Room 113, San Mateo, California.
- If the tick cannot be removed or part of it is left in the skin, consult your physician.
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