It’s officially summer, a time for barbecues, the beach — and protecting yourself against the teeny, tiny black-legged deer ticks that cause most Lyme disease cases.
Nearly a half-million cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed and treated each year, and the majority of them are reported in June, July and August.
“This is when a lot of people get infected,” says Northeastern professor Kim Lewis, director of the university’s Antimicrobial Discovery Center.
Not only are people more likely to be outdoors during the summer months and encounter ticks, the ticks are in what is called their nymphal stage and are so small — the size of a poppy seed — they are hard to spot and remove.
Preventing bites is key to avoiding disease, according to experts at Northeastern University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here are five tips to keep ticks at bay and guarantee their quick removal if they end up on your clothes or skin.
Read more from Northeastern Global News.
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