Tic—talking with students about ticks

Learning about tick-borne and Lyme disease was on the planner for some local students. Seventh graders at Cloquet middle school got enlightened on ticks and safety as the summer months approaches. "It’s something that is in our area, and informing our students about that is important, says Grimm. They know how to check their body for ticks. How to kind of watch for the different areas or locations they would be in so that they can be safe." Farrah Grimm is a seventh and eighth-grade science teacher at Cloquet Middle School.

Students gained valuable information about diseases and what a tick looks like from Redrook. "Lyme disease can be preventable, and we want to create that awareness of what a deer tick looks like. Where you should be looking for them and when to be looking for them. If they start showing symptoms and signs of a deer tick bite, they know what to do in its next step.” Shannon Redbrook is a research assistant in the Biomedical Sciences Department at the School of Medicine at UMD.

There are multiple species of ticks in our areas, and Rebrook shares two of the most common ones. The wood tick is commonly found in this region. The Lonestar tick is making its way here, and that one cause’s meat allergy.
Seventh-grader, Jayce Lanie, shares what he learned that he will practice when he’s outside. "Take hot showers if you’ve been in the woods for a long time because wood ticks do not like hot water."

When it comes to your pets, taking the time to check them outside for ticks can be good to do before bringing them inside. "If they have been in the woods for a long period, I usually give them a bath and give them a few days to stay in their bed and not let them walk around"

Farrah Grimm hopes that students absorb an abundance of information they can use to share with others. "Lyme disease can affect anyone from a young age up to elders, and they must realize the different health effects that Lyme can have. And to avoid getting it themselves and making sure they are taking the proper preventative steps."