RELATED: Never Get in the Shower If You Hear This One Thing, CDC Says. If you’ve been spending time outside, you’ll want to take a shower as soon as possible after you come in. The CDC says that taking a shower within at least two hours of coming indoors has been “shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease and may be effective in reducing the risk of other tickborne disease.” According to the agency, showering can help wash off unattached ticks from and it also can be a time in which you can do a full-body tick check. You should be checking in and around your hair and ears, under your arms, inside your belly button, around your waist, between your legs, and on the back of your knees, per the CDC. While it’s a good idea to never skip a shower after being outdoors, you’ll especially want to adhere to this safety guidance when coming in from a tick-infested area. According to the CDC, “ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas,” but they can also be found on animals. “So spending time outside camping, gardening, or hunting could bring you in close contact with ticks,” the agency says. The CDC adds that many people actually end up getting ticks just by being in their own yard or neighborhood.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: And for more safety information you won’t want to miss, sign up for our daily newsletter. Some parts of the country are more prone to ticks as well. According to the CDC’s Tick Bite Data Tracker, the Northeast sees the most emergency department visits for tick bites, with 108 per 100,000 visits being tick-related. This area includes the following states: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. According to the CDC, a tick bite can lead to several different types of tickborne diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, Tularemia, Anaplasmosis, and Powassan virus infection. Fortunately, the agency also says that many tickborne diseases can have similar signs and symptoms, so they’re easier to spot. These include fever, chills, aches, pains, and rash. “Early recognition and treatment of the infection decreases the risk of serious complications. So see your doctor immediately if you have been bitten by a tick and experience any of the symptoms described here,” the CDC advises. RELATED: If You See This Bug, Call Local Officials Immediately, Experts Warn.
