Tick Bite Prevention, Tick Removal & More
Are you getting “ticked”? The Thunder Bay District Health Unit has been receiving an increasing number of tick submissions. Most ticks in the Thunder Bay district are wood (dog) ticks and do not carry Lyme disease. However, blacklegged (deer) ticks have the potential to carry the disease and some ticks submitted locally have tested positive for Lyme disease. These ticks are active whenever the temperature rises above 4ºC including spring, summer and fall. So what can you do to protect yourself and your family this outdoor season?
PREVENT THE BITE
- Cover up. Protect yourself when you are active outdoors. Wear long sleeves, tuck pants in socks and wear light coloured clothing so ticks are more easily noticed.
- Use bug spray. Follow the directions and use bug spray containing DEET or Icaridin on clothes and exposed skin to keep bugs away.
- Check yourself and your pets. Do a tick check before heading indoors (home, camp, tent). Look in warm, hidden areas on the body including armpits, in and around the hair and ears.
KNOW THE TICK
Ticks can range in size from a poppy seed in the nymph stage to a pea when they are engorged and full of blood. Wood (dog) ticks are larger than blacklegged (deer) ticks. For example, an adult female wood tick is about 0.5 cm long and an adult female blacklegged tick is about 0.3 cm long. Since ticks can be very small, it’s important to do a thorough tick check!
Wood ticks are the most common tick in our area. Female wood ticks have a brown body with a cream cape and while adult males have a cream/brown body. Blacklegged female ticks have a reddish/brown body with a black cape while adult males are all black. Photos of the ticks can be found at TBDHU.COM; the image below is a blacklegged (deer) tick in various stages of feeding.
REMOVE THE TICK
Ticks bite, draw blood, engorge and then drop off. The tick’s mouth will be under the skin but the head and body will be sticking out. Follow these steps to remove:
- Don’t burn off or smother (e.g. with Vaseline©).
- Use fine-tipped tweezers. Grab the head as close to the skin as possible.
- Pull up slowly until the tick is completely removed. Do not twist or turn.
- Put it in a clean container and mark the date and geographic location of where the tick was picked up.
- Wash the area with soap and water OR apply rubbing alcohol.
- Monitor the bite. See a health care provider with concerns.
SUBMIT THE TICK
- If you think it’s a blacklegged tick or you are not sure:
- Put the tick in a clean container and mark the date and geographic location of where the tick was picked up.
- Bring it to the nearest Health Unit office from Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and it will be sent to Thunder Bay for identification. If you live in the Nipigon, Red Rock or Dorion area, the Nipigon office will be closed all summer so please call the Thunder Bay office (1-888-294-6630). Residents of Manitouwadge can also call the Thunder Bay office if they would instructions on how to mail us the tick.
- Wait for a call from the Health Unit. All blacklegged ticks are sent for testing and you will be notified when the results are received.
Tick removal kits and posters are available at branch office locations in Marathon, Terrace Bay and Geraldon; the office is open 8:30am to 4:30pm from Monday to Friday (Terrace Bay office is closed on Fridays). Additional information is available on our website at TBDHU.COM (click on “Health Topics” and then “Insects, Rodents & Other Pests”). Tick removal kits are also available from all municipal offices. To speak with a public health inspector, call toll-free at 1-888-294-6630 from Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.
