Tick-borne illnesses are on the rise. Here’s how to protect yourself. | Live Science

…To avoid tick bites in the first place, dress appropriately when in tick-heavy areas, Goddard advised. Tucking your pants into rubber boots — or at least into your socks — can keep ticks at bay.

“If you wear boots, leather boots, that come up to your ankles and your pants legs are flopping in the breeze, that’s an interstate highway right up your pants legs,” Goddard said.

Treating your clothes with a spray containing the insecticide permethrin will kill ticks on contact. (DEET-containing bug sprays help, too, Goddard said, but not as effectively.) Finally, checking your body for ticks after outdoor activities is key, Goddard said. If you find a tick attached, remove it immediately with tweezers by grasping it close to the skin and pulling straight up.

Mark tick bites on a calendar so that if you get sick in the next several weeks, you can tell your doctor that you were bitten and the date of the bite, Goddard said. There are some paid services that will test ticks for diseases, as well as a limited number of state health departments and research organizations that will do the same for free. One such organization, NYticks.org, is run by Thangamani’s laboratory. The researchers have tested nearly 20,000 ticks, mostly from New York state, and have a real-time data dashboard of the state showing which pathogens are present in which counties.

“The real-time presentation of data is what is very unique, and very, very powerful,” Thangamani said.