Jesse Rice spends a lot of time outside. As a cross country and little-league baseball coach, he also sees a lot of ticks.
"Ticks are always there," he says, "nonstop, just like mosquitoes."
So Rice and his kids check for them every day:
"I always try and tell my athletes and even my kids, check your hair, and I even have my wife check my head after practices," Rice explains.
Ticks can be anywhere, from a wooded area to your back yard in your grass. That's why professionals say you should wear closed-toed shoes, long songs, and pants, and long sleeves to protect yourselves from ticks.
"Ticks in particular tend to exist pretty close to the ground," says Linda Vail of the Ingham County Health Department, "so wearing shoes or boots with socks instead of sandals is often very effective."
Tricks like that, plus bug spray with at least 20% deet can help parents keep ticks off themselves, and their kids.
You should remove a tick with a pair of tweezers, by grabbing as close to the skin and pulling. If any parts get left behind, you should see a doctor.
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Lyme disease symptoms include a rash that looks like a bullseye, fever, chills, sweats, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, and joint pain. If you experience any of these after being bitten by a tick, see a doctor as soon as you can.
For how to send in a tick for disease testing, click here.
