Prevention Archives - Colorado Tick-Borne Disease Awareness Association (COTBDAA)

Preventing Tick Bites

November 6, 2016

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text] Prevention Recommendations Prevention is Key Prevention is key to avoiding Lyme and other tick-borne diseases and conditions! Ticks are capable of transmitting multiple pathogens that can cause more than one illness in just a single bite. They can also cause several tick-borne illnesses/conditions that are not infections. Your risk of contact with these vectors and potential exposure to multiple diseases/conditions, varies regionally throughout the United States and the world. Every season is potential tick season. Ticks can remain active even when there is snow on the ground and temperatures drop. Practice tick safety year-round especially in more mild or temperate climates. We encourage enjoyment of the Colorado outdoors and beyond, but we urge you to increase awareness and to take precautions to keep you, your children, and...

Tick Testing & Identification

November 6, 2016

Prevention, Resources For Parents & Children, Resources For Patients

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Save the Tick! You may wish to save the tick for identification or testing. Identification and testing of ticks cannot determine if transmission of a disease has or has not occurred, however knowing which species of tick you have been bitten by, what pathogens they may be carrying, and in which region of the country you were exposed may aid in your discussions with your medical care provider regarding diagnosis and treatment considerations. Remember NO testing is 100% reliable! Negative results do not necessarily mean no disease transmission. Ticks may carry pathogens for which tests are not yet commercially available. Never wait on results of tick testing to see a doctor, especially if experiencing any signs of illness. Never ignore signs of illness even if tick test...

Tick Repellents

February 8, 2017

Prevention

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Tick Repellents For Clothing and Gear Wearing Permethrin treated clothing is currently the MOST effective way to protect yourself from ticks, as well as mosquitoes and other biting insects. Permethrin kills ticks after only 5 to 30 seconds of exposure. It is both odorless and flame resistant after drying, offering excellent protection for hunters and outdoor workers such as military personnel and wildland firefighters. It is appropriate for all ages including pregnant women, though it can be toxic to cats and fish. Karl Ford, PhD., co-author of the National Park Service publication Tick surveillance and disease prevention on the Appalachian Trail, stated that "Proper clothing treated with Permethrin is the single most important preventive measure a hiker can take". As ticks crawl upward in search of a location to attach,...

Daily Tick Checks!

November 6, 2016

Prevention

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text] Tick Checks! Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks often while participating in outdoor activities and when you return to your vehicle or home. Also check your gear, clothes and naked body. Ticks often seek warm, moist areas of the body where skin is thin. Preventing a tick bite is your best defense against acquiring a tick-borne infection, but it is not always foolproof. Remember. The sooner a tick is removed, the less chance they have of transmitting disease. Some disease causing pathogens are capable of being transmitted in just minutes...

Remove a Tick Properly

November 6, 2016

Prevention

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] How to properly remove a tick Disease causing microbes or other potentially harmful substances in tick saliva may be transmitted within minutes or hours of a tick bite. The sooner a tick is removed, the less chance of transmission! Use fine-tipped tweezers and firmly grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. A tick tool that does not twist the tick may also be an effective method especially for very small ticks. Avoid using blunt tweezers or fingers as this may increase chance of disease transmission. With a steady motion, pull straight up until all parts of the tick are removed. DO NOT twist, crush or jerk the tick as this may agitate the tick and increase the chance of transmitting infections the tick...

Tick Safe Yard

November 6, 2016

Prevention

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Why a Tick Safe Yard? Colorado is inherently an arid environment which is less hospitable for many species of ticks found in abundance in other parts of the country. However, the variability of vegetation, terrain and proximity to water within Colorado creates micro-habitats more favorable to certain ticks, as well as their hosts. Additionally, some species of Colorado ticks are adapted for these more arid conditions and habitats. Many birds and small mammals act as important host reservoirs for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases including, squirrels, mice, chipmunks, Mexican woodrats (packrats), and others. Deer and birds can transport and deposit these in yards near homes or other outbuildings when attracted by palatable vegetation or feeders. Children, pets, and adults may be at risk of tick exposure when...

Working Outdoors

November 6, 2016

Prevention

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] What Are Your Risks Working Outdoors? Many residents in Colorado both play and work in the outdoors through many of the federal, state, county and city natural resource management agencies, recreation and tourism industries, utility companies, ranching, farming, and outdoor education. Colorado outdoor workers are at greater risk of exposure to tick-borne diseases as they spend more time in potential tick habitats where encounters with ticks are more likely. Workers that handle pets and wildlife are also at an increased risk, as some diseases can be transmitted through blood, saliva, abscesses or scratches from the animals they are handling. Work sites with woods, bushes, high grass, riparian areas or leaf litter are likely to have more ticks. In most regions of the United States, those that work or...

Colorado Tick Talks

November 11, 2016

Prevention, Resources For Educators

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Colorado Tick Talks Colorado Tick-Borne Disease Awareness Association offers safety information and education for those who are working and/or playing in the outdoors and run the highest risk of contact with ticks. Colorado Tick Talks serve to provide tick education, prevention, and awareness information to assist with increased health and safety practices of your employees, groups, or students or other public. For Adults Our adult programs focus on increasing awareness of the risks of tick exposures, prevention measures, proper tick removal, the identification of ticks, and recognition of tick borne illness within Colorado and across the country. Our program includes ecology of the tick, the vectors involved, the infections, and how to best protect yourself from infection. These programs can be tailored to meet the individual needs of your agency,...

Additional Resources

Lyme Disease

Babesiosis

Anaplasmosis

Heartland Virus

Colorado Tick Fever

Borrelia miyamotoi

Ehrlichiosis

Powassan Virus

Rickettsia

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Tularemia

Tick Borne Relapsing Fever

STARI

Pacific Coast Tick Fever

Bourbon Virus

Bartonella

Q-Fever

Tick Paralysis

Prevention!

Prevention