Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Ticked Off

Ah summer. The warm weather, the sunshine—and the ticks

Whether you are working or playing outside, you need to be on the lookout for ticks, particularly for blacklegged (or deer) ticks, which can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

Where They're Found

Ticks love damp environments and usually live in

Woodlands
Tall grasses
Bushes

8 Ways to Protect Yourself

1. Wear long sleeves and pants. You can even tuck your pants into your socks for extra protection. Light-coloured clothing allows you to spot ticks easily.

2. Use insect repellent. Products containing 20 percent or more DEET can protect you for several hours.

3. Avoid walking through long grasses.

4. Keep your grass trimmed and remove leaf litter and brush piles.

5. Check yourself thoroughly soon after coming inside, and bathe or shower as soon as you can as ticks don’t always attach themselves to you right away.

6. Check your pets—they could bring ticks into the house with them.

7. Check your clothes and gear. Drying them on high for 60 minutes or low for 90 minutes should kill any ticks.

8. If you find ticks on a job site, let your employer or health and safety committee know so that they can warn others.

4 Things to Do if You’re Bitten

1. Remove the tick carefully with a pair of tweezers. Grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible to remove the entire insect. Do NOT burn it or squish it.

2. Place the tick into a secure container and place it in the fridge (if alive) or freezer (if dead). You can submit the tick for testing within 10 days. Although this will not lead to a diagnosis of Lyme disease, it will help track ticks.

3. If you cannot remove the whole tick, visit your healthcare provider.

4. Clean the bite site with antiseptic.

10 Lyme Disease Symptoms

Symptoms usually appear within three to thirty days, particularly one to two weeks after being bitten. Symptoms include

1. Fever

2. Muscle/joint pain

3. Fatigue

4. Spasms/weakness

5. Numbness/tingling

6. Expanding skin rash

7. Swollen glands

8. Headache/confusion

9. Paralysis

10. Abnormal heartbeat

If you think you have Lyme disease, visit your healthcare provider right away, and tell her or him when and where you were bitten by a tick. Most cases can be treated successfully with antibiotics.

If left untreated, Lyme disease symptoms can last for months or even years and may lead to early death. The sooner you are treated, the better.

Sources: Center for Disease Control, Ontario Ministry of Labour, Ontario.ca, government of Canada

1. Wear long sleeves and pants. You c

1. Wear long sleeves and pants. You

Ticked Off

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