With the summer finally here, everyone knows to apply sunscreen, drink plenty of water and stay within the view of the lifeguards. But the Global Lyme Alliance (GLM) is spreading the word about one of the season’s biggest—but rarely mentioned dangers—the tick. GLM has compiled a list of Top 10 Tick Prevention Tips to help everyone outdoors avoid becoming a victim of these disease-carrying menaces.

Ticks are most active in the spring and summer months when they’re typically in their “nymph” stage. Because of their small size at this stage in their lives, these ticks can go feeding—unnoticed—for days, allowing greater time for infectious bacteria to travel from the tick to its human host.

Lyme disease is the fastest-growing infectious disease and the most common tick-borne disease in the country, according to the Center for Disease Control, but there are numerous other diseases that ticks can pass along, as well. There is currently no foolproof diagnostic tool for Lyme disease, causing thousands of people to often go misdiagnosed and without appropriate treatment. Many sufferers of tick-borne illnesses are not even aware that they are victims of these diseases because they don’t have the facts. GLM believes it is essential to raise awareness about tick prevention.

Top 10 Tick Prevention Tips (from the GLM):

1. Purchase tick-repellent clothing, especially clothing treated with permethrin, an insecticide that repels and kills ticks. You may spray your clothing with permethrin or seek out brands such as Insect Shield, ExOfficio’s BugsAway or ElimiTick which remain effective for up to 70 washes. Any article of personal clothing can be sent directly to Insect Shield in Greensboro, NC, where they will treat it with permethrin in their patented bonding process.  The treated clothes will look exactly the same as the clothes that were sent in, but will have the ability to repel and kill ticks, as well as repel other insects, for up to 70 washings.
2. Reduce the amount of skin exposed by sporting long pants, long-sleeved shirts and a hat
3. EPA-approved insect repellent should be applied to exposed skin
4. Venture in the center of woodland trails, and by all means, avoid walking along any deer paths
5. Every time you’ve been outside, check for ticks while you are out and as soon as you get back
6. Never wait to shower. Bathing as soon as possible will help in removing unattached ticks from your body. Bath time is the perfect time to carefully inspect for any unwanted hitchhikers.
7. Take your clothes off and put them in the dryer at high heat for about 30 minutes to kill any ticks. If clothes cannot be put into the dryer immediately, they should be placed in a Ziploc bag until a dryer is available.
8. Inspect your pets when they come inside from the outdoors, as they may be transporting ticks that can then transfer to you
9. Opt for light-coloured clothing to make it easier to spot ticks
10. Neatly tuck your shirt into your pants and your pants legs into your socks when possible to provide an extra line of defence against ticks

These useful tips are courtesy of the Global Lyme Alliance  (GLM)

They are dedicated to raising awareness, promoting advocacy and supporting initiatives to find a cure for tick-borne diseases, including Lyme. As part of its efforts, TBDA is embarking on a quest to develop a reliable diagnostic tool as a first step toward eradicating diseases. Working with others in the tick-borne disease community nationwide, GLA seeks to raise public awareness through education and create a unified voice for advocacy regarding the current epidemic to make a real difference. More information about GLA, Lyme and tick-borne diseases, and prevention and protection can be found at globallymealliance.org