PREVENTION OF LYME DISEASE

There is now a vaccine designed to protect humans from Lyme disease, called LYMErix@' This vaccine is indicated for people between the ages of 15 and 70 who are at high risk for contracting the disease, such as campers, hikers, outdoor workers, and others who frequent brushy and grassy places. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information about the disease and its prevention.

Here are some guidelines to prevent tick-borne disease in your pets:

Apply tick-killing pesticides to your pets. (Ask your veterinarian to recommend products that are suitable for your pet, and use the products ONLY according to directions.)
Treat your pet's environment with tick-killing pesticides.
Mow grass regularly,and clear. leaves, brush and tall grass away from houses and garden edges.
Avoid allowing your pet in grassy, wooded or beach areas, unless you take appropriate precautions. While in areas of tick exposure, examine pets closely for ticks on a daily basis,especially around the head and inside the ears.
Remove ticks immediately. This is important because it can take hours for an infected tick to transmit disease. Using fine-point tweezers, grasp the tick where. the mouth parts are embedded into the skin and pull gently. Make sure you have cleaned your hands, the bite site, and the tweezers with disinfectant. Place the tick in a small container, like a pill vial. label the container with the date, pet's name, type of animal and your name, address, and phone number. Call your veterinarian about having the tick analyzed for type and possible diseases it may transmit.
Never remove a tick with your fingers, as the squeezing further injects infectious material.
Never try to burn a tick off orto smother it with petroleum jelly or nail polish, as these methods don't work and may cause other complications.

In addition, take these steps to protect yourself and your children when in woods and grasslands:

Wear long-sleeved shirts tight atthe wrists, long pants tight atthe ankles and tucked in socks, and shoes which cover the entire foot.
Wear light colored clothes that show ticks easily.
On clothing, use a repellent containing permethrin. However, do not apply it to clothing while being worn. Allow the clothing to thoroughly dry before wearing.
On skin, use a repellent containing DEET. But don't overdo it. Too much bug spray can cause breathing difficulty, especially in children.
Examine yourself and your children carefully for ticks. Pay close attention to the more hidden and hairy areas of the body.
Remove clothing; wash and dry it at a high temperature setting.