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Lyme Disease Prevention

The Board of Supervisors proclaimed May 2013 as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in Fairfax County.

This month, take time to learn how you can limit your exposure to ticks. Preventing tick bites is the best way to prevent tickborne diseases like Lyme disease.

It is important to be extra vigilant during the warm months when ticks are most active and people spend more time outdoors.

Tick and Lyme Disease Facts

Lyme disease is spread through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. Only the blacklegged, or deer tick, transmits the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. The Health Department provides a free tick identification service.
How to remove a tick safely.
See other types of ticks found in Fairfax County.

Protect Yourself & Your Family

Avoid direct contact with ticks. Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter and walk in the center of trails. Learn how to maintain a tick-free yard.
Use a repellent containing DEET. Repellents with DEET can be applied to exposed skin to help repel ticks. Follow the label instructions.
Wear long, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing. Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants so ticks don't have easy access to your skin. It's easier to see ticks when they are crawling on light-colored clothes.
Use permethrin on clothing. Permethrin kills ticks and there are formulations to treat your clothes sold at sporting goods stores. Follow the instructions on the label.
Check for ticks. While outside, take breaks to check yourself for ticks. Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that are crawling on you. Do a thorough check at the end of the day; use a mirror or have someone help you check the hard-to-see places on your body.
Promptly remove any attached ticks. Don't panic if you find an attached tick. Learn how to remove ticks properly.
Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine animals, coats, and backpacks.
More prevention tips: Download our free reference guide.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease

It’s important to know the symptoms of Lyme disease so you can seek early treatment when necessary. Symptoms include, but are not limited to:

A bull’s-eye rash. (Not every person infected with the Lyme disease bacteria gets this rash.)
Fever
Headache
Achy muscles and joints
Fatigue