Watch out for ticks
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Cole Froude
Student Placement
Summer is here and the tick season begins.
Oxford County Public Health & Emergency Services are encouraging residents to take extra precautions this summer in surrounding county areas where black-legged ticks that can carry Lyme disease live.
Here are some tips and what to look for if you or your child shows signs of the dreaded disease.
Once bitten by a tick, a bull’s-eye like rash will develop between three to 30 days later. It’s advised that you see your doctor immediately upon discovery. The rash usually appears in approximately 70 to 80% of infected persons and can take between three to 30 days later. Late onset of symptoms may even occur months to years later in some cases.
The best way to avoid getting Lyme disease is to know the proper way of preventing ticks.
Wearing light-coloured clothing is a great way to make the ticks easier to spot and identify. Use a tick repellent that has DEET is the best spray to repel the nasty ticks. If you are in an area where you might get bitten by ticks, search your body for them at least once a day. Pay special attention to the scalp, groin and armpits. If you discover a tick on your body do not panic, use tweezers to remove it, grasping the tick as close to your skin as possible. Pull it out straight, gently but firmly. Save the tick alive and put it in an empty jar then take it to a public health unity to be sent for testing.
More information about Lyme disease is available to the public on the Ministry of Health website.