How to protect yourself from ticks and safely remove them, according to experts

Yahoo! Health tapped Thomas Russo regarding tick-borne illnesses and how to stay safe during the summer. Russo explained that, while Lyme disease is the most well-known tick-borne illness, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is the most feared as it is potentially lethal. He notes that the most effective way to get rid of a tick is to physically remote it. When removing a tick, don't twist or jerk as you pull it off, since those can cause parts of the tick to break and remain in your skin, Russo said. "You want to try to get the mouthpieces and the whole tick out," he said.