Prevention: The Best Tick Repellents to Keep You Safe From Bites in Summer 2020

Follow these precautions to steer clear of disease-causing tick bites this season.

Summer is the best time of year to go hiking, have a cook-out in the park, and hit the trails for your run. But while soaking up the great outdoors will get you moving and boost your mood, it still comes with its fair share of risks—like sunburns, heat stroke, and too many bugs to count.

These bugs include ticks, which have been spiking in numbers across the United States—and they’re carrying diseases with them, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The number of tick-borne disease cases in the U.S.—like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever—has more than doubled in the last 13 years, according to the CDC. What’s more, preliminary research from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology finds that alpha-gal allergy—a red meat allergy caused by a tick bite—is a major trigger behind life-threatening reactions.

But fear of these blood-sucking critters shouldn’t keep you inside all season. If you take the proper measures—say, choosing the right tick repellents and doing full-body checks after you’ve been outdoors—you can minimize your chances of ever having to deal with a tick bite.

Read the full article from Alisa Hrustic on Prevention's website here.