Lyme Disease - Are You Tick Aware?
Removing a Tick Incorrectly Risks Infection and Lyme Disease.
Sep 21, 2009
If you work or play sport in the countryside, it is very easy to pick up a tick. But how many of us know how to spot one, remove it cleanly and realise that by not doing so, you risk contracting Lyme disease?
Tell Me a Bit More About Ticks and Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection nearly always caused by a bite from a tick.
Ticks are more active in summer and prefer to live in woods, heathland and moorland. So it could affect anyone: dog walkers, farmers, campers, fishermen, hikers, runners and orienteers.
Ticks transfer onto humans and other animals by sitting on plants then moving onto a new host as it pushes through the undergrowth. Ticks cannot fly or jump, so the deeper the undergrowth, for instance tall bracken in the summer compared to dead bracken in the winter, the easier it is for the tick to transfer across.
How Do I Spot a Tick?
Ticks are blood sucking parasites. The smallest ticks look like a dark freckle or small mole on your skin. If you look carefully you can see its body and legs.
You need to remove it as quickly as possible: the longer the tick stays on you the more chance there is of it passing on any infection it is carrying.
The best way of removing a tick is to use a tick remover, available from pet shops. Slide the hook of the tick remover between the tick and the skin and gently pull the tick off.
Alternatively you can use tweezers; however the tick will have its mouth parts embedded in your skin, so you need to make sure you remove all parts of the tick, and not make it regurgitate its stomach contents into you whilst doing so.
Do not squeeze it, burn it off or cover with Vaseline.
What are the Signs of Lyme Disease?
The majority of people who are bitten by a tick won't go on to get any symptoms. Remember the tick has to be carrying the infection itself in order to pass it on to you.
You do however need to watch for the symptoms:
- Bulls eye rash - a red rash that starts at the site of the tick bite and spreads outwards
- Flu like symptoms, fever or headache
- Joint or muscle pains or weakness
- Tiredness
Lyme disease has been known to cause arthritis, nervous system problems, Bells palsy and memory problems. Some people experience irregularities of the heart rhythm.
The incubation period can be from 2 to 30 days after infection following a tick bite. If you do suffer any ill health within a month of a tick bite, mention it to your medical practitioner. Lyme is easier to treat if diagnosed early on.
What Precautions can I Take?
- Wear shoes not sandals and long trousers rather than shorts. Tuck your socks into your trousers
- Check yourself after any trip where there may have been ticks: Don't just check the areas of your skin that have been exposed. Once on you a tick will crawl around and latch on in a warm spot - often the crotch, armpit, or behind the knees.
- Don't assume that you haven't been bitten because you haven't felt anything. Tick bites are generally painless.
- Check pets as well who can pass ticks on to you.
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