Windsor-Essex County Health Unit
Ticks and Lyme disease
Ticks are a relative to the spider and are
a crawling, non-flying insect. They vary in
size and colour. Ticks are very small (1 to 5
mm) when unfed and female ticks get larger
and change colour when feeding.
Ticks can spread diseases including
Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted
Fever, Powassan Virus Disease, and
Tularemia. Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes
scapularis, formerly called deer ticks)
spread the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.
The bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) are most
likely to be transmitted after the tick has
been attached to you for more than 24
hours.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection
spread through the bite of a blacklegged
tick. Southwestern Ontario is an established
area for Lyme disease; when going outdoors
you and your family members should
protect yourselves against ticks.
Early symptoms of Lyme disease
usually occur within one to two weeks, but
can occur as soon as three days or as long as
a month, after being bitten by an infected
tick. Symptoms may include:
q fever
q headache
q muscle and joint pains
q fatigue (tiredness)
q skin rash that looks like a red
bullseye
q numbness or tingling
q swollen lymph node
Anyone can get Lyme disease, but
people who spend more time outdoors are
at higher risk. These include:
What do I do if I’m bitten by a
tick?
u Quickly remove the tick with a
tick key or use a pair of tweezers.
DO NOT USE YOUR FINGERS
u Gently wash the bite and
surrounding area with soap and
water or rubbing alcohol.
u Do not dispose of the tick. Keep it
in a container or a small plastic
bag that can be sealed. Place a
piece of damp paper towel in the
container or the bag.
u Contact your health care provider.
u Bring the tick into the
Windsor-Essex County Health Unit
and we will send it away for
identification.
u hikers, campers, hunters, or other
outdoor enthusiasts
u people who live or work in an area
near woods or overgrown bush
u people who have outdoor jobs such
as landscaping or brush clearing
Ticks are often found in the woods and
the edge area between lawns and woods.
Ticks can also be carried around by animals
into yards, gardens and into houses.
In Ontario, known endemic locations
for ticks and Lyme disease are:
Point Pelee National Park
Rondeau Provincial Park
Turkey Point Provincial Park
Long Point Provincial Park and
National Wildlife Area
Wainfleet Bog Conservation area
Prince Edward Point National Wildlife
Area
Thousand Islands National Park
Exposure to ticks can occur during the
months of April to November with the
nymphs being active in the late spring and
early summer and the adults being active in
the fall.
What can I do to protect myself?
Use insect repellent. DEET is safe when
used in correct concentrations, depending
on the user’s age.
6 months to 2 years: up to 10 per cent,
don’t apply more than once a day.
2 to 12 years: up to 10 per cent can
reapply up to three times daily.
12+ years: up to 30 per cent.
NOTE: Less than 6 months: don’t use
DEET products. Less than 12 years: don’t
use DEET daily for more than a month.
Icaridin should not be used on children
younger than 6 months old.
Avoid walking in tall grass and stay on
the centre of paths. Cover up. Wear long-
sleeved shirts and pants. Wear light
coloured clothing to spot ticks easily. Tuck
your pants into your socks and wear closed
toed shoes.
Do a full body check on yourself,
children and pets after being outdoors.
Shower within 2 hours of being outdoors.
Put your clothes into a dryer on high heat
(at least 60 minutes) to kill any possible
ticks
Put a tick collar on your pets. Keep
grass in your yard short.
For more information about ticks, Lyme disease and how to remove a tick, visit
wechu.org or call 519-258-2146
6 The HUB June 2017