Spring Deer Ticks Pose Health Hazards

Expert Offers Ways To Protect Yourself Outdoors

BOSTON -- Many of you have been spending time outdoors this week -- but you're not alone.

Deer ticks are back -- some say in higher than usual numbers because of the mild winter.

"Your kids are playing in the back yard. You have some nice woods in the back, occasionally you see a deer, and the ball goes off into the woods. Kids go running in," Harvard School of Public Health Dr. Richard Pollack said.

What they unknowingly bring out concerns Pollack, who found roughly three dozen deer ticks in a matter of minutes -- some likely carrying the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

"In the next month, month and a half, the next generation will be active, and they're much harder to find on yourself or on your kids," Pollack said.

"I didn't see the tick. I had the rash, a big bull's eye rash on my left thigh," Suzanne Meredith said.

That tiny Lyme-infected tick had a major impact on Meredith's life, causing incredible fatigue and other problems.

"Joint pain, headaches and numbness -- when you hear the expression, 'I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired,' that's how it feels," Meredith said.

She hasn't given up her love for outdoors, but Lyme disease has made her cautious.

"You have to be prepared. You have to do tick checks every day," Meredith said.

The general thinking is that a deer tick has to be attached for about two days before transmitting Lyme disease, but there are some exceptions. So the key is get it off as soon as you find it. Use fine-tipped tweezers.

"You would grasp the tick as close to the mouth as possible and pull up," Pollack said.

Pollack recommends wearing light-colored long pants tucked into socks when walking in woods. He suggests using repellents containing DEET. Pollack also said to check your children every day -- especially their scalps.

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