Every summer, Canadians who are so depressed from the long winter can't wait to go outdoors. The outdoors are risky. In addition to daily risks, outdoor enthusiasts living in North America also face the risk of ticks ⚠️
This little bug is quite common. You might think it's harmless, but in fact, this bug is very dangerous, and the consequences of being bitten are unbelievable. If you are bitten, you will likely suffer from Lyme disease. At this time of the year, Canadian health officials remind travelling citizens to take precautions against this increasing infectious disease. Canadian singer Avril Lavigne has been in bed for several months because of Lyme disease!
Since there is a danger of ticks, can I still do outdoor activities? Of course, you can! If you take precautions, you can greatly reduce your chance of risk.
First of all, let's understand what a tick is and does, specifically the black-legged tick. The body of a tick is oval and small in size. It is mainly found in grasslands, bushes, and areas where livestock gather. Unfortunately, many living creatures become victims of ticks. The common black-legged ticks in Canada can invade the human body and feed on human blood to transmit the virus.
What is Lyme disease? It is a natural foci disease caused by tick transmission. It is clinically manifested to cause damage to multiple organs and systems such as skin, nerves, joints, and heart. The disease occurred in Lymetown, Connecticut, in the northeastern United States in 1975. However, it was named Lyme disease in 1980, and its occurrence was related to the bite of an Ixodes tick.
Lyme disease can occur at any age. However, there are slightly more men than women, and the incidence is closely related to occupation. This means the infection rate of field workers and forestry workers will also be higher.
Early symptoms of Lyme disease
1. Erythema Migrans rash, 70% to 80% of Lyme disease patients will have an EM rash, which spreads from the bite site into a bull's-eye shape within a few days. 2. Flu-like symptoms: such as headache, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, etc. 3. Swollen lymph nodes.
Late Symptoms of Lyme Disease
(A few days to several months after the tick bite)
Severe headache and neck stiffness
Additional EM rashes on other parts of the body
Arthritis is accompanied by severe joint pain and swelling, especially knee joints and other large joints
Facial paralysis (loss or sagging of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face)
Intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints and bones
Palpitation or irregular heartbeat (Lyme carditis)
Dizziness or shortness of breath
Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord
Nerve pain Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
Problems with short-term memory
High-Incidence Areas of Lyme disease in Canada
The following areas are high-incidence areas of Lyme disease:
NovaScotia, Swathes in Manitoba, most areas of Vancouver Island, Ottawa and the surrounding areas of Toronto. These kinds of ticks are not as easy to spot as mosquitoes. They tend to be insensible when they bite. They may be as big as a grain of sand, so they are not easy to spot. In the past 10 years, Lyme cases have increased rapidly. According to Canadian national surveillance data, Lyme disease cases have increased from 144 in 2009 to 2025 in 2017. Scientists believe that the main reason for this growth rate is climate change. According to investigations, 3% to 5% of tick bites can cause Lyme disease. Adrian Baranchuk, a cardiologist and researcher from Kingston, said that the chance of heart disease caused by Lyme disease might reach 10%.
Protection Before Outdoor Activities
Wear light-coloured clothing and long trousers, why? It's much easy to spot ticks on lighter surfaces.
Wear sports shoes and roll your pants into your socks. Wear a hat and other protective gear to reduce exposed parts.
Before entering the outdoor field, use an EPA-approved insect repellent spray on the exposed skin, and spray it every two hours on the way. Try to avoid sitting and lying in the wild for long periods of time.
Use 0.5% Permethrin to treat clothes and equipment. Permethrin can effectively kill ticks. The clothes, shoes and equipment treated with it can effectively repel ticks and mosquitoes.
After finishing outdoor activities, check your clothes, shoes and hair for ticks before getting on the bus. It is recommended to pat and shake them off.
After returning home, immediately change all clothes and take them outside to shake.
If you find a tick sticking to your skin, remove it immediately. If you have been bitten, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
If you are taking your pet outdoors, remember to check your pet because ticks like to parasitize on both humans and pets!
The Correct Way to Deal with a Tick Bite
Check Carefully Usually, tick bites are not painful. Only a few people will react with obvious allergic reactions, so people are often unaware when they are bitten. Ticks may parasitize anywhere in the human body, especially skin folds, such as the scalp and behind the ears, neck, armpit, popliteal, wrist, groin, etc. There are also some ticks that attach to clothing and shoes, so you must first carefully check the whole body to find the attached ticks.
Tick Found Do not pull out the tick directly to prevent damage to the skin. The barbs on its mouth are likely to have penetrated the skin already. If it is pulled out forcibly, the head may remain in the skin. Whether it is on the surface of a person or animal or the surface of clothing or other objects, do not touch it directly with your hands, let alone crush it. First, apply alcohol to the tick's body to relax its head, and it will gradually die.
Remove the Tick Use tweezers or other tools to clamp the tick biting on the skin, take it out vertically, and then use alcohol or other disinfectants for local disinfection. Those with severe symptoms may need antibiotics. If it is not completely removed, or if you have a fever or erythema within a short period of time, you must seek medical treatment as soon as possible. To summarize, if you are bitten by a tick, handle it correctly and seek medical attention in time. Most of the conditions are controllable. If a tick bites you, you can prevent infection by removing it within 24 hours. Because the tick bites and sucks blood, it takes more than 24 hours to spread the spirochetes effectively. Preventive use of antibiotics after a tick bite can achieve the purpose of prevention.
Sprays to Prevent Tick Bites 01 Ben's 30% DEET Mosquito, Tick and Insect Repellent, 37ml Pump, Pack of 4 $21.00 https://amzn.to/2Yf8o30
Ben’s Insect Repellent can effectively prevent mosquitoes, ticks and other insects from attacking you. Its unique formula can provide effective protection for up to 8 hours and evaporates slowly so that the mosquito repellent can last longer. The 37ml size can be easily put in a daily bag or trouser pocket and is very portable. 4.5 stars praise on Amazon! 02 OFF! Deep Woods Insect Repellent, 230g $9.97 https://amzn.to/3cF1JEj
OFF! Deep Woods Insect Repellent provides long-lasting protection against a variety of insect bites, including mosquitoes, black flies, sand flies, and ticks.
Aerosol spray ensures easy application, so you can enjoy outdoor swimming. In addition, it is ideal for camping, fishing, hiking and hunting.
User's Guide: Keep the container 15 to 20 cm away from the skin or clothing and spray slowly. Do not use it on skin that is inflamed or sunburned. Do not spray in enclosed areas. When using it on a child, please put it on the child with your own hands. If you want to spray on the face, be sure to spray on the palm first, and then apply a small amount, avoiding eyes. Do not spray directly on the face. Do not use near eyes and mouth. Apply an appropriate amount around the ears.
4.5 stars on Amazon!
Recommended Tick Removal Tools Tick Twister Tick Remover Set with Small and Large Tick Twister $5.47 https://amzn.to/2Y8u9kP
This tool was created by a French veterinarian. It can remove the entire tick's head without squeezing the abdomen, thereby minimizing the risk of infection. This gadget is ranked number one on Amazon, with more than 1,600 user reviews and 4.7 stars.
User's Guide:
Choose a tool of the corresponding size according to the size of the tick. Use the small fork on the tool to press against the skin and push towards the tick, clamp the tick's mouth, and then rotate the tool while gently pulling it out. Usually, after two or three turns of the tick, its mouth will loosen and be pulled out completely. After removing the tick, it is recommended to disinfect the wound with a disinfectant.
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