How to Avoid Getting a Tick Bite
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- You might be at risk if you live, work in, or visit a wooded area, or an area with tall grasses and bushes (including city gardens and parks). You may also be at risk if you are involved in outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and gardening. You may be bitten by a tick and not even know it. You can watch this video to learn how to Enjoy the Outdoors, Without a Tick.
- Cover up
- Wear light-coloured clothing, so it's easier to see ticks; closed-toed shoes; long-sleeved shirts; long pants, tucked into your socks; and special clothing designed to repel ticks.
- Use insect repellent
- Use an insect repellent, or bug spray, that says "DEET" or "icaridin" on it. Make sure to choose a bug spray or repellent approved by Health Canada.
- Put it on your clothes and exposed skin.
- Always read the label for directions on how to use it.
- Put clothes in the dryer
- Kill any ticks that might be on your clothing by putting your clothes in a dryer, on high heat, for at least 10 minutes before washing them.
- Check yourself and your children
- After being outdoors, check for ticks on yourself and children.
- Look behind your knees, on your head, in your belly button, in your groin area, in your underarm area, and on the back of your body (use a mirror or ask someone to check for you).
- It is a good idea to have a shower as soon as you can to wash off any ticks.
- Check your pets
- After being outdoors, check your pets' skin and remove any ticks you find (see below for steps to remove a tick).
- Ask your veterinarian about options to help keep ticks off your pets.
- Maintain your property
- You can help keep blacklegged ticks away from your property by keeping grass mowed short; trimming bushes and tree branches to let in sunshine (ticks avoid hot, dry locations); creating a border of gravel or woodchips one metre or wider around your yard if you are next to a wooded area, or an area with tall grasses; removing leaf litter, brush, and weeds at the edge of the lawn, from stone walls, and wood piles; and moving children's swing sets, playground equipment, and sandboxes away from wooded areas (consider placing equipment on a woodchip or mulch foundation).
- You can watch this video about How to Reduce Ticks Around Your Home.
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What to do if a Tick is Found
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- How to remove a tick:
- Removing a tick is the same for humans and animals. It is important you do not crush or damage the tick because it could cause Lyme bacteria to pass from the tick into your bloodstream.
- Use fine-tipped tweezers and grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible. Do not use a lit match or cigarette, nail polish, nail polish remover, petroleum jelly (e.g., Vaseline), liquid soap, or kerosene to remove the tick.
- Pull the tick straight out, gently but firmly. Do not jerk or twist the tweezers while pulling the tick out. Do not squeeze the tick - you might crush it.
- Once you have removed the tick, wash your skin with soap and water and then disinfect your skin and your hands with rubbing alcohol or an iodine swab.
- Place the tick in a container.
- Before disposing of the tick, get it identified.
- You can also watch this video for How to Properly Remove a Tick.
- Contact the Environmental Program at the Health Unit for identification. They can be reached at 705-474-1400 or toll free at 1-800-563-2808, ext. 5400.
- Give the tick to a healthcare provider or the Health Unit. It will be sent to a laboratory for testing. Alternatively, you can send a picture of the tick to the eTick website. All you need is a cell phone to take a picture and upload it directly to the website, or use the app. If successfully uploaded, species identification is available within 48 hours.
- You can also watch this Lyme disease video to Stay Tick-Free.
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Quick Facts About Lyme Disease
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- In Ontario, blacklegged ticks are found more commonly in rural areas along the north shores of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Superior, and the St. Laurence River. See Public Health Ontario's Lyme Disease Estimated Risk Areas Map for more information.
- Ticks vary in size and colour. They can be hard to see until they engorge themselves with blood. Adult females are three to five millimetres long before they feed, but young ticks are smaller and lighter in colour.
- Symptoms:
- Most symptoms of Lyme disease in humans usually appear between 3 and 30 days after a bite from an infected blacklegged tick. If you have been somewhere that ticks might live and experience any of the following symptoms, speak to a healthcare provider right away:
- Rash
- A bull's-eye rash (a red patch on the skin that is usually round or oval and more than five centimetres that spreads outwards and is getting bigger)
- A bruise-like rash (usually on darker skin tones)
- Another type of unusual rash
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache
- Stiff neck
- Muscle aches and joint pains
- Fatigue (more tired than normal)
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Spasms, numbness, or tingling
- Facial paralysis
- If not treated, Lyme disease can make you feel tired and weak, and if it gets really bad, it can even harm your heart, nerves, liver, and joints. Symptoms from untreated Lyme disease can last years and include recurring arthritis and neurological problems, numbness, paralysis, and in very rare cases, death.
- Diagnosis and Treatment
- Your healthcare provider may diagnose you with Lyme disease depending on your signs, symptoms, and risk factors. Laboratory testing is not always required to diagnose and treat Lyme disease infection.
- Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with antibiotics.
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Additional Resources
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