Essay On Ticks

760 Words4 Pages
Introduction Ticks are insects that draw blood for food. Most ticks live in shrubs and grassy areas. They climb onto people and animals that brush against the leaves and grasses that they rest on. Then they bite, attaching themselves to the skin. Most ticks are harmless, but some can carry germs that can spread to a person through a bite and cause disease. To reduce your child's risk of getting a disease from a tick bite, it is important to take steps to prevent tick bites. It is also important to check your child for ticks after outdoor play and, if you find one, to watch your child for symptoms of disease. How can I protect my child from tick bites? Take these steps to help prevent tick bites when your child is outdoors in an area where ticks are found: Use insect repellent that…show more content…
Check your child for ticks at least one time a day. Make sure to check the places that ticks attach themselves most often. These places include the scalp, neck, armpits, waist, groin, and joint areas. Ticks that carry a disease called Lyme disease have to be attached to the skin for 24–48 hours. Checking for ticks every day will lessen your child's risk of this and other diseases. When your child comes indoors, wash your child's clothes and have your child shower right away. Dry your child's clothes in a dryer on high heat for at least 60 minutes. This will kill any ticks in your child's clothes. What is the proper way to remove a tick? If you find a tick on your child's body, remove it as soon as possible. Removing a tick sooner rather than later can prevent germs from passing from the tick to your child. To remove a tick that is crawling on the skin but has not bitten, go outdoors and brush the tick off. To remove a tick that is attached to the skin: Wash your hands. If you have latex gloves, put them on. Use tweezers, curved forceps, or a tick-removal tool to gently grasp the tick as close to your skin and the tick's head as
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