May 1 2020
Ticks and Lyme Disease… What You Need to Know
Remember to be tick smart! As day time temperatures rise above 4°C, ticks become active. If bitten by a tick you may be at risk of getting Lyme disease.
Taking the following precautions will help to reduce your risk:
Tick specimens are not used for diagnosis of disease so they are no longer accepted at the Health Unit.
Lyme disease symptoms can range from a bulls eye rash around the bite area, to headache, fever and muscle/joint pain. Symptoms can appear from 3 days to several weeks following a tick bite. Consult your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms.
For more information about ticks and Lyme disease:
What to Do If You Find a Tick On YouKeep these tips in mind:
[ARCHIVED]
The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit has released some helpful tips when dealing with Tick Season.
Tick and Lyme Disease;
Reduce Ticks Around Your Home
Ticks prefer to live in humid, wooded areas. To help protect your family and pets from contact with ticks there are several actions you can take to make your environment less favourable for ticks.
How to Avoid Tick Bites
For more helpful information such as identifying ticks or how to remove a tick visit their website at:
http://www.healthunit.org/hazards/documents/lyme.htm
Ticks and Lyme Disease… What You Need to Know
Remember to be tick smart! As day time temperatures rise above 4°C, ticks become active. If bitten by a tick you may be at risk of getting Lyme disease.
Taking the following precautions will help to reduce your risk:
- Dressing in light coloured clothing makes adult ticks and nymphs (small stage of the tick), easier to see when they are on you as they are darker in colour.
- Always remember to do a tick check when you return inside.
- Thoroughly check your body for ticks and nymphs and promptly remove and dispose of them. If possible have someone check you from behind.
- You can take a quick shower to help remove any unattached ticks.
- Putting your clothes in a hot dryer for several minutes has been found to kill ticks.
Tick specimens are not used for diagnosis of disease so they are no longer accepted at the Health Unit.
Lyme disease symptoms can range from a bulls eye rash around the bite area, to headache, fever and muscle/joint pain. Symptoms can appear from 3 days to several weeks following a tick bite. Consult your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms.
For more information about ticks and Lyme disease:
- Visit our Insect Bites and Diseases section of our website.
- Call 1-800-660-5853
- Email us at contact@heathunit.org
- Connect with us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @LGLHealthUnit for important public health updates.
What to Do If You Find a Tick On YouKeep these tips in mind:
- Don’t panic.
- Remove the tick using tweezers or a tick puller, by grasping the tick by the head as close to your skin as possible. Pull on it firmly, but gently and straight out.
- Examine the tick to see if it is flat or fat. If it is flat is has likely been on you less than 24 hours and it is unlikely that if it was a positive tick that it would transmit the bacteria.
- If the tick is fat it is likely that it has been attached to you and feeding for more than 24 hours and you may be at a higher risk of getting Lyme disease so consult with your health care provider.
- Clean and disinfect the site of the bite.
- Make a note of the date you removed the tick – early symptoms of Lyme disease appear from 3 days to 30 days following the tick bite and may include a red rash, a bulls-eye rash, fever, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint pain. These early symptoms may disappear without treatment; however the disease can move into the next stage where it may be more difficult to treat.
[ARCHIVED]
The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit has released some helpful tips when dealing with Tick Season.
Tick and Lyme Disease;
Reduce Ticks Around Your Home
Ticks prefer to live in humid, wooded areas. To help protect your family and pets from contact with ticks there are several actions you can take to make your environment less favourable for ticks.
- Keep the grass in your yard mowed.
- Remove brush and fallen leaves from the edges of your property, especially if your yard is bordered by woods or fields of tall grass.
- A border of gravel or wood chips that creates a physical separation between lawns and wooded areas will help reduce the movement of ticks from their natural habitat into your yard.
- Clean up areas under and around bird feeders, to reduce the attraction of small critters such as mice and voles. These mammals help to transport ticks and are
necessary hosts for ticks to complete their life cycle. - Place children’s play structures away from wooded areas to avoid exposure to ticks
How to Avoid Tick Bites
- Use an insect repellent with DEET. Read manufacturer’s directions for safe use.
- If you are going to be in long grass, wear light coloured clothing, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and shoes.Tuck your pants into your socks. This allows for easy identification of ticks on you.
- When you return from being outdoors, check yourself for ticks (include armpits, groin, scalp and have someone else check the back of your body). A quick shower may help to remove any ticks not yet attached.
- Protect your pet; contact your vet.
For more helpful information such as identifying ticks or how to remove a tick visit their website at:
http://www.healthunit.org/hazards/documents/lyme.htm