Facility Use
Ticks and Lyme Disease

Only the Deer Tick and the Lone Star Tick are known to be carry the disease with the Deer Tick being the most common carrier.  Not all Deer Ticks carry the Lyme spirochete. 

Female Deer Ticks are pinhead size to an inch in length, black and brick red in color.  Males are smaller and all black.  The Lone Star Tick is larger and chestnut brown.

What we have done to reduce the risk of Lyme Disease

• Trails have been trimmed back
• Trails have been sprayed with treatment specific to ticks
• We have begun spraying for ticks much earlier than in the past due to the increased use of Amity Acres

Lyme Disease is treatable with antibiotics at any stage.  The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.  There is also a vaccination available.

Precautions you should take

• Stay on the trails, near the center
• Wear light-colored clothing in order to see ticks
• Girls should be checked for ticks twice daily; girls should be checked again on their arrival at home.
• Wear long pants with cuffs tucked into socks, long-sleeved polo shirts or jacket, hat or kerchief.
• Carry small first aid kit with curved tweezers or forceps.

The use of personal insect repellents on skin or clothing may be effective in reducing exposure to ticks.  Always read product labeling before using repellent. Clothing repellents should never be used on your skin!  Brush off clothing before entering the buildings.  Undress and check for ticks; they usually crawl around for several hours before burying their feeding tube into the skin. 

Recommended removal of ticks

Early removal is important because many disease organisms are not transferred until the tick has fed for two or more hours.  The object is to remove the tick with its mouthparts intact.  Hasty pulling of the attached tick often causes the mouthparts to become detached and left in the skin.

• Grasp the tick firmly with tweezers and with a slow steady pressure, pull it out
• Wash the wound with soap and water for five minutes
• Observe the bitten person afterwards for symptoms

Symptoms: red rash or raised area which expands in a circular manner over
a number of days (3-30 after bite).  As the rash increases in size, it may begin to have a “target” appearance, become itchy, warm or tender; along with flu-like symptoms including low-grade fever, fatigue, headache, joint pain and stiff neck. 

Be sure to tell PARENTS of the tick bite.  If possible, preserve the tick by placing it in moist cotton or paper towel and putting it in a container.  Give tick to parents and recommend they have it analyzed.