7 On Your Side tips to prevent tick bites and symptoms to know

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is a spike of tick bite-related emergency room visits this summer.

May saw the highest rates of people bitten by a tick in six years and with that increase comes the fear of getting Lyme disease.

The Northeast has the highest rate of tick bites in the country and deer ticks, or the black-legged tick, which can carry Lyme disease, is prevalent across Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

Children under 10 and adults over 70 run the highest risk of being bitten by a tick and most people get bitten in their own yard.

RELATED | Tick-related emergency room visits spike across Northeast

"You want to make sure you look in the areas where ticks like to hide, that includes behind the knees, near the belly button, behind the ears, in the hairline, and that's why it is especially so important for children that you help them examine," said Dr. Darien Sutton.

Dr. Sutton is reminding the public that not every tick is infected, but ticks can spread bacteria, viruses and parasites, which can cause human illness like Lyme disease.

If you spend a lot of time outdoors hiking, gardening or camping, know that ticks live in grassy, brushy or wooded areas.

Avoid contact by walking in the enter of the trail and by covering your legs. Instead of shorts, wear long pants.

"If you take a shower within two hours of arriving at home, you have reduced your risk substantially, take your clothing and put it in the dryer on tumble dry heat, that can also reduce your risk because it gets rid of any ticks leftover," Sutton.

And make sure to apply insect repellent. Use a product from the EPA list of approved and registered repellents.

Look for ingredients like IR 3535, deet or chemical-free organic options like oil of lemon eucalyptus.

"You want to remember children have a higher surface area to body weight ratio, that means they're more at risk for absorbing chemical when you put in on their skin, so you want to make sure especially with children under the age of 3 to avoid many of these chemicals, that's when you want to get creative, put it on their clothing," Sutton said.

If you do see a tick on your skin, use a tweezer and pull up to dislodge the head.

"The longer the tick is on you, the increased risk of infection," Sutton said. "Many times it comes with pain in general, like we're talking about arthritis, body aches, sometimes it can come with excessive fatigue, but in extreme cases it can lead to facial paralysis, seizure and even chronic illness."

Sutton said if it is on your skin for more than 24 hours, make sure to talk to a doctor.

Ticks are pretty indestructible, so when disposing of it there are two options: flush it down the toilet or place the insect in a sealed bag and put it in the garbage.

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