Watch out for this tell-tale tick bite sign that means ‘see a doctor’
Saratoga’s tick season is predicted to be an especially bad one this year. Here’s what you need to know.
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Early summer means peak tick season in Saratoga, yet Seana Mosher says most locals know very little about what this means for them and their loved ones. The local physician associate attends to patients all day long who had nothing to worry about — or did, but waited longer than recommended because they didn’t know what to look for.
And, as it turns out, you can also head to the doc too early and get a false negative. Here’s what you need to know.
Abby: Early summer is peak tick season for New York. What does that mean for Saratoga?
Seana: Saratoga Springs is in an endemic area for ticks. And it’s going to be an especially bad tick season.
Abby: Everyone wants to know when to see a doctor.
Seana: There are tell-tale signs, but not everyone gets them. Not everyone know they were bitten. Unfortunately, only about 70% of people will get erythema migraines, the classic bullseye rash associated with Lyme disease. If you know you had a tick bite, monitor for symptoms. If you get that infamous bullseye rash or start having symptoms of the flu, it’s time to go to your doctor and get tested.
Abby: And you’re saying, too, that when is also important.
Seana: It’s not helpful to get tested right away after a tick bite. It can take several weeks for a Lyme test to be positive — too early and it could be a false negative.
Abby: You also said “if” you know you had a tick bite…
Seana: It helps if you know you were bitten by a tick, but only about a fourth of the people who get Lyme are aware they even had a tick bite. The Ixode black-legged ticks that carry the bacteria that cause Lyme are tiny and sometimes hard to see.
Abby: Let’s circle back and say I know I was bitten by a tick, and am not sure about anything else. What do I do?
Seana: Remove the tick as soon as possible. There are lots of ways to do this — my favorite is a tick tool that looks like a miniature crowbar. It works every time and with it I’ve had the most luck getting the whole tick out. If you try to remove the tick and you didn’t get the head of the tick out, it’s OK. Wash the area, keep it clean, and the bite will scab up and force the head out on its own. If you found the tick and its engorged, you may be a candidate for prophylactic treatment. The longer the tick has been on you, the more likely it is to transmit the bacteria, the disease. Within 72 hours of removing the tick, a one-time dose of doxycycline can be helpful to prevent Lyme disease. Otherwise, watch for any symptoms of Lyme.
Abby: Let’s go over that monitoring phase. What am I watching out for all summer, whether or not I found an actual tick?
Seana: Even without knowing you got bit, you can guess the flu-like symptoms in the summer months could very likely be a tick-borne illness: fevers, headaches and body aches.
Abby: What shouldn’t I do?
Seana: It’s probably not helpful to bring the tick with you to the doctor. We don’t test them. Personally, I’m not sure I would even know the difference between the black-legged ticks and all the others. If you really want to know, there are testing centers that will accept your tick and test it. Likely the results won’t be back before you need treatment if you are positive — so it may only for research purposes.
Abby: How do I prevent all of this?
Seana: The best way to prevent Lyme of course is to not get a tick bite. Dressing for tick season is important, especially if you are out in areas where there is a potential for ticks. Using specific bug sprays are a good way to prevent tick bites. If you do need to be treated, doxycycline is the antibiotic of choice.
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