05/31/2024

Here’s Exactly What to Do If You Find a Tick on You

If you do find a tick on yourself, don’t panic

If it feels like you’re suddenly seeing ticks everywhere, it’s not in your head. The U.S. tick population has exploded in recent years, largely driven by climate change, which means spotting one of these blood-sucking pests is an unfortunately routine event for people in many parts of the country.

Ticks are best known for spreading Lyme disease, an illness that can cause flu-like symptoms, body aches, fatigue, and more. By some estimates, almost half a million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Lyme each year, with the blacklegged ticks that spread the condition particularly prevalent in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, parts of the Midwest and the Pacific Coast.

Lyme isn't the only tick-associated illness to know about, though. The creatures’ bites can spread a range of rarer illnesses, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan virus disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and alpha-gal syndrome. Disease-carrying varieties are found throughout the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.