Don’t get ticked off, but it’s time for you’re annual reminder to protect yourself and those around you from Lyme disease.
Grey Bruce Public Health is cautioning all those enjoying the outdoor this spring to keep an eye out for bites from the blacklegged tick. The ticks can carry the bacteria B. burgdoferi, which causes Lyme disease.
“The best way to prevent Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses is to avoid being bitten by a tick,” says Senior Public Health Manager Andrew Barton. “Staying on cleared paths or trails, wearing clothing that impedes ticks from reaching the skin, and using bug repellant with DEET or Icaridin while outdoors are all ways to prevent tick bites.”
Blacklegged ticks are present in Grey-Bruce and most often found in wooded areas, in fields, among tall grass, and in leaf piles.
Not all blacklegged ticks are infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. In most cases, infected ticks must be attached to a person for at least 24 hours to pass on the disease-causing bacteria.
The Health Unit says people can prevent tick bites by:
Wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants when in tick habitat and tucking their shirts into pants and pants into socks;
Wearing closed-toe shoes;
Using bug spray containing DEET or Icaridin;
Wearing light-coloured clothing (to make it easier to spot ticks that may have climbed onto them);
Using a sticky lint remover to remove any ticks that may have crawled onto shoes or clothing;
Performing full body checks for ticks upon returning home and taking a shower/bath to wash off ticks that haven’t bitten yet and find any that have recently bitten;
Checking pets for ticks and asking their veterinarian for recommendations on keeping ticks off pets;
Putting clothes in the dryer for at least 10 minutes upon returning home (to kill any ticks).
If bitten by a tick, it’s important to remove it immediately.
For more information, visit Grey Bruce Public Health’s tick webpage.
