Health Officials Say It’s Time To Be On The Lookout For Ticks

It’s that time of year when we start spending more time outdoors. Unfortunately, it also means you are more than likely to start discovering tick bites.

Dr. William Roland, from the University of Missouri, says there are tell-tale signs to look for to determine that one of the tiny blood suckers took to a liking to you…“To lookout for fever and headache, the majority of tick borne diseases in mid Missouri. If they’re going to cause disease, that’s how they’ll present.”

Doctor Roland also says there’s a right way and a wrong way to remove ticks….“The improper way is to squeeze it the body with a tweezer. The thought is that you’re injecting the tick contents into you, so there’s a nice little pronged instrument that you stick it like a fork underneath it and lift up the tick.”

And since it usually take several hours to be infected by a tick, the best way to minimize chances of a tick-borne illness…? Simply just check yourself for ticks anytime you’ve been in a wooded area.