Our Least Favourite Neighbours - Ticks In NoCo
Over the last decade, there has been a growing awareness of ticks and Lyme disease within our community. Cobourg and Northumberland County, in particular, have emerged as one of the higher-risk areas for Lyme disease in Ontario.
Ticks most commonly found in Northumberland County are Black-Legged Ticks. They are insects that are members of the arachnid family (like spiders) that are unable to jump or fly. These ticks thrive in wooded, brushy areas with undergrowth and significant leaf litter that keep the ground damp. Most ticks are about three to five millimeters, or even smaller during the nymph phase of their lifecycle, but can expand significantly in size after feeding. They like the “warm places” on human or animal bodies - think armpit, groin, under socks or waistlines of clothing. Ticks can often be transferred from a family pet to human, or directly from the environment to human.
Black-Legged ticks often carry a disease called Lyme. It is an infection from a bacteria formally known as “Borrelia Burgdorferi”. Not all ticks carry Lyme disease, but many in our region do. Approximately 70% of all cases of Lyme disease are reported in June, July and August. This peak in cases during the summer months coincides with both greater participation in outdoor activities and increased presence of ticks in the nymph stage, when they are about the size of a poppy seed and very difficult to see. Interestingly, adult female Black-Legged ticks have a brown abdomen, while the males have a black abdomen (so you can tell if you have a lil guy or gal stuck to you!).
Protect yourself by wearing closed footwear and socks and a long sleeve shirt tucked into long pants, and tucking your pants into your socks. Use an insect repellent containing DEET or Picaridin on clothes and exposed skin. Always be sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions on how to use it. Check for ticks on your body, paying special attention to the groin area, belly button, armpits, head and behind ears and knees. Use a mirror to check the back of your body or have someone else check for you. Don’t forget to check for ticks on your children and your pets. Take a shower as soon as you can after being outdoors to wash off any ticks that may be on you. 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.
If you catch a tick attached to you do not panic! Not every tick carries a disease. Do not rip the tick off or burn it or smother it with Vaseline, as these actions will not help. Instead, use clean fine tipped-tweezers as available, or a tick pick and firmly grasp the tick as close to the skin as you can. Gently, pull away from the skin. The goal is to get the entirety of the tick out in one attempt. If this does not happen, attempt to get the remaining tick-bits out of the skin with tweezers. Please check yourself after time in the forest, in long grass, or even in the rough on the golf course. If your ball goes into the rough, think twice about getting it!
It is advised that after tick removal, you consult a health professional to see if you need preventative antibiotics to prevent the infection of Lyme disease. Local pharmacists can now prescribe antibiotics, so there is no need to go to the emergency room for treatment.
The Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge Health Unit website has a video on how to remove ticks https://www.hkpr.on.ca/health-topics/insects-animals-and-bites/ticks-and-lyme-disease/