Tick Checks: Prevent Lyme Disease

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Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  

    If you have been walking in wooded or grassy areas, do a tick check afterward to protect yourself against ticks and Lyme disease. If you're in the woods or a grassy area, wear long sleeves, light colored apparel and closed-toe shoes. Be sure to bring along repellants  that have been certified. 

    Here are the best ways to reduce your risk and prevent the disease:

    •  Know where to expect ticks. Blacklegged ticks (deer ticks) live in moist and humid environments in wooded and grassy areas.
    • Use DEET repellent and wear protective clothing.
    • Check yourself for ticks daily when living in or travelling to areas where ticks are prevalent.
    • If you have a tick on you, remove it quickly. Removing it within 24 hours significantly reduces your risk for Lyme disease.
    • Know the right way to remove ticks. Use tweezers to slowly pull out the tick. It’s important to remove the entire body because sometimes the tick’s head can latch on to your skin which still harbors the disease.
    • Check your pets for ticks.
    • Be aware of any rashes or fevers you develop during tick season.
    • Make sure your yard is tick-safe by using a chemical control agent or keeping deer away.

    Early prevention and treatment is important when dealing with Lyme disease, as the symptoms get progressively worse and more serious as time goes on.  Some common early symptoms include:

    • Small bump/redness at the site of the bite;
    • Red, expanding rash called erythema migrans (EM);
    • Fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes.

    If a tick is embedded in the skin, use tweezers to remove it as soon as possible. Hold the tick gently with the tweezers, close to its head, and pull it out slowly. Clean the area and apply a bandage if necessary.

    Place the tick in a dry container and give it to your health care provider or local health unit to be sent to a provincial laboratory for testing. Ticks are most likely to transmit infection after being attached for more than 24 hours of feeding.

    Speak to a health care provider if you have any symptoms of Lyme disease or have been in contact with a tick. Symptoms of Lyme disease include a rash, flu-like symptoms, fever, feeling unwell, fatigue, joint pain, chills, stiff neck, headache, muscle ache, or swollen glands. A characteristic sign of the disease is a bull's eye rash in which the bite is surrounded by a round, red rash.

    The disease can only be diagnosed through a blood test. Left untreated, Lyme disease can affect the heart and lead to death.