With summer quickly on the approach, Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) reminds people in the area of tick activity during the warmer months, and the precautions needed in reducing the chance of contracting any tick-borne illnesses.
Ticks are a parasitic arachnid that typically range from around three to five millimetres in size. They feed on human and animal blood alike by cutting through the skin and inserting a barbed feeding tube called the hypostome into the fresh wound. A ticks saliva contains natural an anesthetic fluid that prevent the host from feeling the bite, allowing it to feed freely and undetected—if all goes well for the tick—for up to days on a single host before releasing and falling off when it’s had its fill.
The most prevalent species of ticks in northwestern Ontario are the wood (also called American dog) tick and the blacklegged (also called deer) tick. Although both have means to transmit serious short-term diseases, it is the blacklegged tick that can transmit Lyme disease to a host, which has become a staple association to ticks in general.
“Preventing blacklegged tick bites is an important step in reducing the risk of tick-borne diseases,” NWHU Health Promoter Stephanie Charles said in a press release. “A quick tick check can make a real difference.”
Due to their small size, ticks can be very difficult to spot or feel after they’ve begun to crawl on a host. The NWHU has given the following recommendations to mitigate the possibility of tick bites:
- Cover up patches of skin using closed-toed shoes, long sleeves and pants tucked into socks to prevent them from crawling onto skin beneath clothing.
- Wear bright colours to allow for easier spotting if a tick has crawled onto you.
- Use insect repellant containing DEET or Icaridin.
- Check yourself, children and pets after spending time outside.
- Shower soon after outdoor activities to wash off ticks that have crawled on but not attached.
- Ask a veterinarian about tick prevention options for pets.
The NWHU also notes the importance of removing ticks promptly after they have attached themselves and begun to feed. The longer a tick is able to feed on a host, the greater the chance of a disease being transmitted to the host.
If a tick is found and already attached, the organization advises the following:
- Use a clean, fine-tipped set of tweezer to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
- Pull straight out gently but firmly without twisting, jerking or squeezing the tick.
- Wash the bite area with soap and water, then disinfect skin and hands with rubbing alcohol or an iodine swab.
- Do not use petroleum jelly, nail polish, liquid soap, kerosene or a lit match to remove the tick.
The several species of ticks can be identified by the marks on their backs and legs. Wood ticks are commonly dark brown with distinctive white markings on the back; blacklegged ticks are a reddish brown with a dark circular shield leading from the head into the back.
There is also the lone star tick, which is brown with a single white dot in the middle of the back. This species has been notoriously linked to the spread of alpha-gal syndrome, which causes serious allergic reactions to red meat and dairy products.
Although a few of these ticks occasionally make their way north attached to migratory birds, they are not able to survive or establish populations in northwestern Ontario and usually keep to southern states and parts of the province.
If unsure of the species, the publicly accessible site eTick.ca allows for photo submission to assist in identifying.
Symptoms of illnesses that can be transmitted by ticks can include fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches or rashes. If these symptoms develop after a bite, contact a health care professional as soon as possible.
