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Tick repellent could help protect you and loved ones from bites

BOSTON — Ticks seem to be everywhere this spring, but an affordable solution may be able to keep you and your loves ones safe.

Boston 25 News has been reporting on the dangers of ticks, which carry Lyme disease and Powassan virus, since experts first warned of a "tick apocalypse" in early March.

“It could be that almost the perfect storm of a lot of immature ticks and a lot of rodents that would then be a big problem,” Dr. Thomas Mather from the University of Rhode Island said.

Mather runs TickEncounter.org, a website about how to protect yourself from bites. One suggestion is to tick-proof your clothes with a repellant called Permrthrin.

Clothes can be soaked in the repellant or sprayed with it, but be sure to use it in a well-ventilated area. One application should last six washes on clothes before they need to be treated again.

“Sounds like a good idea. Sounds like a really good idea.” I think I ought to give it a try,” Saul Marcus from Newton said.