How to prevent Tick-Borne Diseases?
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Ticks are excellent vectors for disease transmission; consequently, tick-borne diseases are common. They are second only to mosquitoes as vectors of human disease, both infectious and toxic. More than 800 species of these obligate blood-sucking creatures inhabit the planet.
From the perspective of disease transmission to humans, the essential characteristic of ticks is their need to ingest a blood meal to transform to their next stage of development. Not picky in their eating habits, they take their requisite blood meal from all classes of vertebrates (eg, mammals, reptiles, and birds), with the exception of fish.
Ticks feed by perching in low vegetation and waiting (questing) for a susceptible host on which they can attach themselves and feed. Once on a host, the tick inserts its hypostome, a central piercing element with hooks, into the host’s skin. Some ticks secrete a cementing material to fasten themselves to the host. -
@sarmistha Prevention strategies for tick-borne diseases can be divided into 3 general categories: environmental, personal, and prophylactic (after a tick bite has occurred). Environmental strategies (eg, control of the population of deer and other vectors and tick control measures) are beyond the scope of this article.
CDC guidelines on the prevention of tickborne diseases are as follows:
Use tick repellents containing DEET, IR3535, picaridin (1-piperidinecaboxylic acid, 2-[2-hydroxyethyl], 1-methlypropyl ester), or other EPA-registered products when outdoors. Follow package label instructions for application.
Wear protective clothing, including long-sleeved shirts, pants, socks, and closed-toe shoes.
Permethrin-treated or impregnated clothing can significantly reduce the number of tick bites when working outdoors.
Protect pets from tick bites by regularly applying veterinarian-approved ectoparasite control products, such as monthly topical acaricide products, acaricidal tick collars, oral acaricidal products, and acaricidal shampoos.