Tick and Mosquito Tips

Ticks Overview

• There are a dozen types of ticks in Minnesota but 3 different types are most common including the blacklegged tick (“deer tick”), American dog tick (“wood tick”), and the lone star tick.  
• Humans are often bitten by wood ticks but they rarely cause illness.  
• The lone star tick is rare in Minnesota.  
• The blacklegged tick or deer tick is the tick that causes the most illness in humans including lyme disease and anaplasmosis.  
• Ticks are most prevalent after the snow melts in the spring-early summer in grassy wooded areas.  

 Prevention

•  Use insect repellent containing DEET or picaridin.  For extended periods outside in high-risk areas, permethrin can be applied to clothing. 
• Check the skin and clothing daily after periods of time spent in grassy wooded areas

Recommendations

1. Remove the tick as soon as possible using a pair of tweezers or fingers by gently removing the head of the tick.  
2. Wash the bite with soap and water.  
3. Identify the type of tick and contact the clinic if you are concerned the tick is a deer tick.  
4. Ticks have to be attached for at least 24 hours to transmit disease.  
5. Lyme disease antibiotic prophylaxis is sometimes recommended for those who have a confirmed deer tick attached over 36 hours.   

*Lyme Disease is caused by a bacteria Borrelia borgdorferi that is contracted to humans and animals from the deer tick.  Lyme disease can cause symptoms shortly after a deer tick bite as well as months later.  Acute symptoms include the “bull’s eye” rash, fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, fatigue.  Testing is performed with a blood sample, and treatment is with antibiotics.

            ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mosquitos Overview

• Mosquitoes are common insect with about fifty species in Minnesota most prevalent between July-September.  
• About 3 species of mosquitoes in Minnesota can transmit diseases to humans including West Nile, Japanese Encephalitis, & Jamestown Canyon Virus.  Disease transmission from mosquitoes is rare.  

Prevention and Side Effects

• Mosquito bite prevention includes the use of insect repellents containing picaridin, up to 30% DEET, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus.  Do not use oil of lemon eucalyptus in children under 3, and DEET sparingly in children under 2.  Although deemed safe, natural oils including citronella, geraniium, peppermint and soybean oil have not been proven to be effective by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Clothing can be pretreated with permethrin.  Wear loose clothing and long sleeve shirts and pants.  Avoid areas of standing water, and avoid being outside during dawn or dusk.  

• Mosquito bites cause red itchy bumps that can appear like hives that resolve usually within 5-7 days.  When a child has a bite, wash the bite with soap and water.  Topical hydrocortisone 1% (over the counter) or oral anti-histamines such as cetirizine or diphenhydramine can be given to reduce itching.  Keeping nails trimmed can help prevent secondary bacterial infections.