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Lyme disease - Management
What advice can I give on the prevention of tick bites?
- To minimize the risk of being bitten by an infected tick, advise people to:
- Keep to paths and away from long grass or overgrown vegetation, as ticks crawl up long grass in their search for a feed.
- Wear appropriate clothing (long sleeved shirt and long trousers tucked into socks) in tick-infested areas. Light coloured fabrics are useful, as it is easier to see ticks against a light background.
- Consider using an insect repellent containing N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET).
- Inspect skin frequently and remove any attached ticks as soon as possible after noticing them (see How to manage tick bites).
- At the end of the day, check again for ticks, especially in skin folds.
- Make sure that children's head and neck areas, including scalps, are properly checked.
- Check that ticks are not brought home on clothes.
- Check that pets do not bring ticks into the home on their fur.
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