Tick season is well underway in the province and that means it's time to be a bit more cautious when heading out to enjoy the beautiful weather.
Ticks are most commonly seen in tall grass or brush. They need blood to survive which is why they latch onto human skin and animals as well. Dr. Khodevesi, Medical Officer of Health with Prairie Mountain Health says one way to avoid getting ticks on your skin is to wear long sleeves and pants.
"Another way to try and avoid the tick is to stay away from tall grass and brush," said Khodevesi. "If you're going for a hike, it's always best to stay in the middle of the trail."
If you find a tick on yourself, you should remove it immediately using tweezers. During the summer months, it's also very important to do daily tick checks on your animal as they can nestle into the fur.
The black-legged tick and deer tick can carry Lyme disease. However, this doesn't mean that every black-legged tick or deer tick carries the disease, they must have been infected.
The risk of contracting Lyme disease from a tick is very rare in Canada, with fewer than 1000 cases per year. Symptoms of Lyme disease include a bullseye at the infection spot, a rash, fever, and fatigue.
Ticks must be latched onto the skin for a minimum of 24 hours to spread Lyme disease if they're infected.
"That's why it's extremely important to do frequent checks, the sooner you can get a tick off the better," said Khodevesi.
