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With the warmer weather comes a lot of positives, but also a few negatives.
One of those negatives is ticks, which are small bugs that feed on the blood of humans and animals and can sometimes transmit disease.
🚨Ticks are out and about🚨
— Interior Health (@Interior_Health) March 13, 2021
Dr. Fenton, our medical health officer, shares advice on preventing tick bites, checking and removing ticks, and submitting ticks for testing. https://t.co/zLYV3Yot8M
Ticks are most often found in tall grass and wooded areas, which means it’s always smart to check yourself for ticks after being outdoors.
The most common tick species is the wood tick, which is not known to carry the Lyme disease bacteria.
It can, however, carry other diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but that is rare.
Some ticks have toxins that can cause tick paralysis, a condition that results in temporary muscle weakness and paralysis until the tick is removed.
If you find a tick on yourself, another person or a pet, wear gloves and gently remove it.
To do this, use needle-nose tweezers to gently grasp the tick and pull it straight out without squeezing, then clean the area with soap and water after removal.
If possible, try to save the tick in a sealed container with a cotton ball soaked in water and record the date of the bite.
While most tick bites don’t result in illness, it’s important to watch for signs of tick-transmitted illnesses.
Those symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain and a rash.
Additional precautions people can take to prevent illnesses from tick bites include:
- Walking on cleared trails when in tall grass or wooded areas.
- Covering up by wearing a hat, long sleeves, and pants.
- Wearing light-coloured clothing to help spot ticks easily.
- Tucking pant legs into socks or boots.
- Applying insect repellent containing DEET on uncovered skin.
- Checking clothing and scalp (covered or not) when leaving an area where ticks may live - ask someone to help check hard to reach areas.
- Having a shower after returning from areas where ticks may live.
- Regularly checking household pets for ticks.
To reduce ticks from entering your home and yard, try these steps:
- Keep your lawn short and remove any fallen leaves and weeds.
- Keep a buffer area such as wood-chip or gravel border between your lawn and wooded areas or stone walls. Any play equipment or play zones should be kept away from wooded areas.
- Trim tree branches to allow more sunlight in your yard.
- Keep wood piles and bird feeders away from the house.
- Widen and maintain trails on your property.
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