 Spring Cleaning is here and Appalachian Wireless has the deal to get you started. Get a Samsung Galaxy S8 for a penny or a Galaxy S8 Plus for only $89.99 on the region's best network. Better service, bigger savings, that's today's Appalachian Wireless. So your agreement requires you to store for details. This time of year, most of us spend a lot of time outdoors, whether it is hiking or fishing or even something as simple as mowing the grass. But healthcare professionals are warning everybody this summer to be wary of ticks. It doesn't matter what type of outdoor activity you are participating in, you are at risk of being bitten. Ticks are everywhere. It's even in your backyard. So you have to be very careful about these ticks. And Dr. Fadi Alakroth says no matter how squeamish you are about ticks, if you have to remove an embedded tick, don't throw it in the trash. When you get ticked by, try to get them and save them because this can help physicians to determine what kind of disease that you can carry. And unfortunately, ticks can carry some nasty diseases. Each tick can cause different kinds of infection. The most famous one is Lyme disease, which is carried by the black-like tick. And the most common symptoms will be flu-like symptoms, muscle ache, joint problems. They feel nauseated, fatigue, sick, but also they can develop rash. And this rash could be a distinctive feature of the disease. For example, for Lyme disease, they have what's called bull's eyes. Although Lyme disease in our region is rare, there have been reports locally of Lyme and other serious diseases resulting from a tick bite. Some of these infections, I want to mention, could be fatal, especially Rocky Mountains by the fever and Tularemia. So that's why you have to be very careful when it comes to ticks because this can cause to effulminant problems. But the Lone Star tick, also found in our region, can on rare occasions cause a person to develop an alpha-gal allergy, which simply put means an allergy to red meat. That translates into no more hamburgers, hot dogs, or even bacon. Prevention from getting tick bite is a key to prevent these red meat allergies. So it's very important. And I recommend all of these people who develop the red meat allergy to carry EpiPen because sometimes it's very important to have a protected agent in your pocket to prevent from any fatal reaction. Dr. Olocross says many tick-borne diseases aren't transmitted in the first 36 hours the tick is attached to the skin. So checking yourself after being outdoors is very important. At the neck side, at the fold, behind the ears, in the groin area, in the armpits and the back. And this is very important because these ticks can hide in these places. He says ticks should be removed with fine-tipped tweezers by slowly pulling it out of the skin. And the longer they attach to the skin, the harder it will be basically to remove the tick. And once you remove it, try to clean the skin very well with an antiseptic agent. If you develop a rash or flu-like symptoms following being bitten by a tick, see a doctor as soon as possible. In Pikeville, I'm Shannon Deskins, EKB News.