Public urged to be tick aware

By GILLIAN SLADE on May 28, 2020.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade

It is tick season, check for them on yourself, or your pet, and remove any ticks as soon as you find them.

Alberta Health’s website says that most ticks do not cause serious health problems but removing the tick completely may help you avoid Lyme disease.

Protect yourself from ticks when working or playing in grassy or wooded areas. Wear a hat, a long sleeved shirt and long pants tucked into your socks.

It is a good idea to use insect repellents such as DEET and to remove tall grasses or woodpiles around your yard to reduce ticks and the rodents they may depend on.

When you have been out of doors or in a natural grassy area, check all over your body for ticks including your groin area, head and under your arms. Use a fine-toothed comb to go through your hair and have someone check your scalp.

It is possible for ticks to be on your clothing or pets and then enter your house. The ticks can fall off and then attach to you.

Alberta Health suggests checking your children daily for ticks during the warmer months of the year.

To remove a tick, Alberta Health recommends using fine-tipped tweezers. Do not handle the tick with bare hands. It is important to grab the tick with the tweezers as close to the mouth as possible and gently pull the tick straight out until its mouth lets go of your skin. Tape the tick to some paper and put it in a ziplock bag for later identification if required.

Wash the area of the tick bite and your hands well with soap and water.

If you develop a rash, headache, joint pain, fever, or flu-like symptoms, it could be related to the tick bite and you need to call your doctor.

https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/news/advisories/ne-pha-tick-information.pdf