CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) – With warmer weather moving in, that means it’s almost tick season.
Shawnna Rhine with the Southern Seven Health Department has some tips to protect you and your loved ones.
“Wear light colored clothing that way you can easily see the tick on you. You also want to make sure that you are wearing long pants with socks. Even long sleeve shirts when you’re outside working in the yard or you’re out hiking. Again that helps to make sure that you can see the ticks very easily. And when you come inside, make sure you do a complete check of yourself, your children if they were with you and any pets you might have,” Shawnna Rhine said.
“If you do find a tick on your person they do recommend that you hold on to that check for a few days that way you start having any flu like symptoms that you can take the chicken with you to the doctor and see if that was the possible cause and that way the doctor can test and begin treatment. You want to make sure that you apply an EPA insect repellent, one that has at least 20% deet,” she said.
“Or again, just make sure that when you are out if you’re hiking in the woods and get a path try to stay in the center of that path. If you’re out working in the yard mowing and when you’re just out in the yard trying to stay as far away from a wooded area as you can because ticks can fall off the trees and off the bushes and onto you so you can protect yourself and the best way to protect yourself is to make sure that you check yourself as soon as possible try to get a good bath or shower within the first hour or so it being outside and even get someone else to check you make sure that you protect your hair that you check all body parts to make sure that it hasn’t crawled up down into your sock or another part of your of your person,” she said.
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