Don’t Let a Tick Make You Sick
Heading into summer is a good time for kids to learn the basics about ticks, tick-borne diseases and tick management practices for biting ticks in New York. It’s important that you don’t let a tick make you sick.
Keep ticks away!
- Wear repellent on your bare skin or wear clothes that have repellent built-in.
- Check for ticks at the end of each day.
- take a shower too! It will help wash off the ticks you can’t see.
- Change clothes. Don’t put on your old clothes that might have ticks still crawling on them.
- Avoid taking short cuts through thick brush and grass.
Hey Grown-ups!
- Make sure that the repellent you’re using contains 20% or more of the active ingredient (like DEET).
- Help younger kids apply repellent and keep it away from eyes, mouth and hands.
Source: National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases
Division of Vector-Borne Diseases | Bacterial Diseases Branch
What does a tick look like?
Don’t Let a Tick Make You Sick!
What is a tick?
Ticks are related to spiders. They have 8 legs. But they don’t spin webs and they don’t eat insects. All ticks are small but blacklogged ticks (sometimes called deer ticks) are very small. This is the actual size of a blacklegged tick during their different life stages:
They are so tiny, it’s easy to mistake them for freckles or dirt. Sometimes they’re hard to see at all.
Where do ticks live?
- Ticks live in places where there is a lot of tall grass, shrubs, and leaves.
- Ticks wait for an animal (like a deer, a mouse, or a dog) or a person to walk by.
- Then they grab on to the animal or human.
How do ticks bite us?
- After climbing on a person or animal, ticks find a good place to attach themselves.
- They might hide in your hair, or behind the knee, even in your underwear!
- Then, the ticks bite into a person or animal’s skin and start drinking their blood.
- Tick bites don’t usually hurt, so you may not even notice it.
- The tick can stay attached for a few days.
- When it is full, it will fall off.
What if I find a tick on me?
- If you find a tick on your body, tell your parents or a teacher.
- They can use tweezers to pull it off.
- Pull the tick straight up and out.
- Then they should wash the bite with soap and water or disinfectant.
How can I stay healthy?
- If a tick bites you and soon after you get a fever, a skin rash, or feel really, really tired, tell your parents.
- Tell your parents.
- The tick may have given you some germs.
- See your doctor to find out if you need medicine.
How can I keep ticks away?
- You can wear insect repellent and stay out of tall weeds.
- If you are in a place where ticks live, take a bath or shower after you come inside.
- Let your parents check you for ticks afterwards.
- Also, tell your parents that there are things they can do to keep ticks out of your yard.
Test Your Knowledge!
- If a tick makes you sick, you may get one of these on your skin.
- Ticks eat _______.
- Never pull off a tick with your _______.
- If a tick makes you sick, you may feel hot because of a _______.
- Ticks can be so small, you might think they look like _______.
- A place where ticks wait for people or animals.
- After removing a tick, wash the bite with _______ and water.
- Take a bath or _______ to help remove ticks.
- The number of legs a tick has.
- Tool for removing ticks.
- When you come indoors, always _______ for ticks.
- Ticks are related to these web spinners.
