BALTIMORE, MD—As spring officially begins in Maryland, the state’s department of health has launched a tickborne disease awareness campaign to encourage residents to take precautions against mosquito-borne illnesses.

The campaign will provide Marylanders with weekly tips on how to prevent tick exposure and recognize the symptoms of tickborne diseases, the most common of which is Lyme disease.

The Maryland Department of Health recommends that residents use EPA approved insect repellents, wear light-colored clothing to spot ticks more easily, wear long pants and sleeves, and tuck their pants into their socks or boots. In addition, residents should treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5 percent permethrin, consider purchasing permethrin treated clothing and gear, stick to marked paths when hiking and avoid brushy areas and tall grass, shower as soon as possible after returning indoors, dry clothes on high heat for 10 minutes once they get home to kill any ticks on clothing, and perform a tick check on yourself, children, and pets after being outside in a tick habitat.

Symptoms of tickborne diseases include rash, fever, headache, joint pain, and fatigue. If you develop any of these symptoms, contact your health care provider or local health department. Fortunately, most cases of Lyme disease can be cured with antibiotics.

The health department also reminds residents that spring is the start of tick season, and Marylanders should continue to check for ticks after outdoor activities through the fall. In addition to the Lyme disease prevention campaign, the health department is also offering tips on how to prevent other tickborne diseases such as babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularemia.

For more information on how to prevent tickborne diseases, visit the Maryland Department of Health website.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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