New Tick-Borne Disease Waits In the Woods

[Mike H]

Heartland virus, which doesn't respond to treatment. This infection was described for the first time last year after two Missouri men were hospitalized with fever and headaches. No one was sure how the men contracted the disease. Now a study in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene confirms that ticks were the transmitters.

http://www.ajtmh.org/content/early/2013/07/23/ajtmh.13-0209.abstract

What tick repellent do y'all use?

 

[Jim]

Thanks Mike,
The only effective repellent for ticks is Pyrethrum based sprays. Deet and other mosquito repellents do not work on ticks. Bad news is that Pyrethrum is not safe to spray on your skin so you must use it on your shoes and outerwear. Doing environmental control like keeping brush and grass cut short with targeted spraying when the Ticks are in the nymphal stage is very effective strategy but of course not 100%.

 

[VerbaVolant]

Proper clothing/footwear and hope for the best.

 

[andrew98]

Proper clothing/footwear and hope for the best.

Same here. Plus, I check myself often, especially if I've gone through dense vegetation or tall grass. Seeing ticks is helped by wearing light colored clothing.

-Andy