Charlottesville, if you have not yet realized, is hardly a concrete jungle. A charming little town nestled in the midst of forests and mountains, nature is always just around the corner. And so are ticks, as I unfortunately discovered about this time last year after coming down with Lyme Disease. I made a full recovery after a round of antibiotics, but it was a 0/10, do-not-recommend experience. Following are some tips to avoid the same fate, taken from the CDC[1] and the Virginia Department of Health.[2]
Ticks are closer than you think.
You do not have to be an avid hiker to be in tick territory. Forests, fields, and the like are all within easy walking distance of the Law School classrooms. Ticks, similarly to the deer and rabbits you may have seen around North Grounds, do not respect the boundaries of UVA property or city limits—the only outdoor areas I had been to the month before getting sick were the woods behind the Law School, the area around the soccer fields near the Law School, and the sidewalks connecting the Law School, Harris Teeter, and main campus.
Take extra care around forested and other shady areas, tall grass, and leaf litter. Stay in the center of trails when possible.Ticks can be very small, so check closely.
Some of the ticks that are the most likely to transmit disease are the size of pinheads.[3] After being in tick habitats, be sure to conduct a thorough check of your entire body, including the backs of the knees, neck and hair, armpits, and other body creases and hard-to-see areas.Wear appropriate clothing and bug spray when in tick habitats.
When in tick habitats, wear bug spray containing DEET or picaridin and/or clothing treated with permethrin. Also consider wearing long pants tucked into socks. Note that ticks will be more visible on light-colored clothing. Ideally, shower and change promptly after getting back from your outdoor adventures, and keep your hiking clothes quarantined after changing until you can run them through the dryer on high heat.Many tick-borne illnesses can be prevented by prompt removal.
Finally, some good news! With some exceptions, many tick-borne illnesses require an estimated twenty-four hours or more of the tick being attached to transmit. So, don’t freak out too much if you find a tick—I only ran into problems because I did not think to check.
The CDC and the Virginia Department of Health recommend removing ticks by grasping them with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and slowly pulling upward with gentle pressure until the ticks let go. Wash and disinfect the area afterwards. Dispose of ticks by placing them in alcohol, flushing them down the toilet, wrapping them in tape, or placing them in a sealed bag.Communicate with your doctor.
If you do get sick, let your doctor know if you have or may have been bitten by a tick in the last month or so (incubation periods may vary). Be sure to report any rashes or abnormal bug bites, but be aware that not everyone with a tick-borne illness gets (or finds) a distinctive rash. Many common tick-borne illnesses can be easily treated, but the earlier, the better to avoid long-term side effects.
(A version of this article ran September 22, 2021.)
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[1] See Preventing Tick Bites, CDC (July 1, 2020), https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html.
[2] For a handy summary of ticks and tick-borne illnesses in Virginia, see Ticks and Tickborne Diseases, Va. Dep’t of Health, (2019), https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/12/2019/08/Tick-borne-Disease-in-Virginia-Flyer-8.5-x-11-format-for-website-.pdf. This flyer contains a lot of handy info in a short amount of space.
[3] Id. (illustrating tick sizes).