Kentucky Officials Urge Tick Checks as Lyme Disease Rises in Pediatric Patients

3 articles · Updated · LEX 18 News - Lexington, KY · Jun 30

Kentucky officials warned that warm weather is raising tick exposure and urged residents to check for ticks after time outdoors, especially in wooded areas and tall grass.
Hannah Tiffin of the UK Extension Office said prevention starts with long pants, tucked socks or tall boots, plus permethrin-treated clothing and DEET-based repellent.
Shower checks should focus on the ears, armpits, knees, groin and belly button, where ticks often latch before spreading disease.
Fine-tipped tweezers are the recommended removal tool—pull straight up without twisting—and officials advise carrying a tick kit with antiseptic, a container and even a lint roller.
Officials said tick bites can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, alpha-gal syndrome and Lyme disease, which is becoming more common among Kentucky pediatric patients.