How To Enjoy The Outdoors And Be Safe From Ticks During The Warm Weather
SMDHU ADVISES ON HOW TO AVOID AND IDENTIFY TICKS IF YOU GET BIT
Courtesy of Barrie 360; MJ BradfordPublished: Apr 21st, 2023
The nature around Simcoe County makes it the ideal playground during the warmer months.
Unfortunately, climate change, warmer winters and hotter summers have helped increase the tick population, specifically the black-legged tick.
These little bugs can carry Lyme disease, which can spread to humans and animals through their bite. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash.
Although these small insects are unappealing and sometimes frightening, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit wants everyone to enjoy the outdoors using simple but useful tips.
Ramien Sereshk, Program Health Inspector Coordinator for Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit, says some key prevention measures include dressing smart if you are out in nature.
” Wear light-coloured long-sleeve shirts and pants, closed-toe footwear and tuck in your clothing. Sereshk says.
“An example of this would be tucking your pants into your socks so ticks can’t crawl onto your skin.”
It’s recommended to use an insect repellent registered in Canada that contains DEET and Picaridin, also known as Icaridin.
Sereshk says they like to hide in hard-to-find spots like in between the toes, scalp and behind the knees, so a full body check when you get home as soon as possible is your best defence.
The video below is a great example of checking yourself and your family.https://www.youtube.com/embed/UEayubyaY-U
If you’re bitten, you must remove it using a pair of fine-tip tweezers as soon as possible.
According to simcoemuskokahealth.org, you must carefully grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and avoid squishing or squeezing the tick’s body. Squeezing can cause the Lyme disease-causing bacterium to be accidentally introduced into the body.
Pull the tick straight-up with firm and even pressure. Don’t twist and pull it.
Don’t try to burn the tick or put anything on it to remove it, and don’t use your fingers.
Image from Johns Hopkins Rheumatology via Youtube
Once the tick is removed, clean the bite areas and your hands with soap, water, and/or rubbing alcohol.
Finally, you’ll want to place the insect in a sealed container for identification.
Sereshk says that not all ticks carry the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease, so identification is important using a digital program called etick.ca
Image from etick.ca
” This is a timely and accurate digital image-based identification method. You should contact your healthcare provider if the website identifies it as a black-legged tick. Especially if symptoms associated with Lyme disease appear.”
Sereshk says this can include body aches, fatigue, stiff neck and swollen lymph nodes.
Sometimes people develop a skin rash shaped like a bull’s eye that gets bigger over time.
Contacting your health provider as soon as possible is important to discuss your next course of action, and an antibiotic may be prescribed.
Sereshk again stresses the importance of prevention and being diligent outdoors, including avoiding large overgrown grassy areas and conducting a tick check on yourself, your family and your pets.
For more information, visit simcoemuskokahealth.org
Patricia is the Business Mentor and owner of Grow Vantage and a Past President of the Barrie Chamber of Commerce. She applies over 30 years of business experience (from start-up to corporate) to mentor entrepreneurs. Since 2011, she has held over 6,500 coaching and training sessions in-person and online. Through Ask For Directions Training, her entrepreneurial training program (and parent company Grow Vantage), and as a business coach, she works with start-ups who are new (or who have lost traction) to design, launch and grow their businesses. Along with 20 other expert instructors she teaches strategies in marketing, sales, communications, and finance, as well as practical techniques to increase productivity, and manage their businesses. In other words, everything entrepreneurs need to learn to grow and run their businesses successfully, and avoid the costly mistakes they can't even see coming - that lead to delays in growth and getting stuck.
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