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f it feels like you’re suddenly seeing ticks everywhere, it’s not in your head. The U.S.

tick , largely driven by climate change, which means spotting one of these blood-sucking pests is an unfortunately routine event for people in many parts of the country. Ticks are best known for spreading , an illness that can cause flu-like symptoms, body aches, fatigue, and more. By some estimates, almost half a million people in the U.



S. are diagnosed with Lyme each year, with the blacklegged ticks that spread the condition particularly prevalent in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and parts of the Midwest and Pacific Coast. Lyme isn’t the only tick-associated illness to know about, though.

The creatures’ bites can , including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan virus disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and alpha-gal syndrome. throughout the U.S.

, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Despite how prevalent ticks are, many people don’t know exactly what to do if they spot one on their body. Here’s a step-by-step guide to tick prevention, removal, and follow-up care, according to experts. Prevention is always the best medicine.

So it’s key to wear bug spray— —and dress strategically when you’ll be in tick-heavy environments, such as woodlands, fields, parks, and even some residential backyards, says Stephen Rich, executive director of the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases, a consortium of experts who specialize i.

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