This summer could be the worse tick season in years.
Health experts say from May to July, people will get more tick bites than any other time. But because of two warm winters in a row and a record harvest of acorn, this could be a particularly bad time. Acorn is a favorite food of mice in the wild and mice carry ticks.
Lyme disease cases are on the rise and other, sometimes fatal, diseases are also re-emerging.
Doctors warn to wear tick-repellent clothing and to avoid areas where they may be present. They also suggest these tips:
- Use repellent with 20 percent DEET or more
- Do body checks
- Cut the grass short
- Put clothes in the dryer for ten minutes; the heat will kill any ticks
How to remove a tick:
- Use fine-tipped tweezers
- Put tweezers at the base of the tick, where the head is
- Pull upward
- Clean area with rubbing alcohol
Source: CBS News