Enjoy the Outdoors Safely - Be Tick Aware
When spending time outdoors, even if it’s just in your local garden or park, always consider the potential for tick exposure. Ticks usually attach themselves to animals, but they can bite people and their pets too.In some cases tick bites can lead to diseases and infections such as Lyme Disease and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV).
Below are some helpful hints and tips on how to stay tick aware whilst enjoying outdoor adventures. If you’d like more information please head to Lyme Disease UK’s webpage, or the UK Health Security Agency’s Tick Awareness leaflet.
What are Ticks?
Ticks are small arachnids that feed on the blood of animals, including humans. They range in size, with larvae as tiny as freckles and fully-fed females similar in size to baked beans.
Where can Ticks be Found?
Ticks thrive in various environments, favouring damp areas with leaf litter or tall grass, such as woodlands, grasslands, moorlands, heathlands, and certain urban parks and gardens.
Ticks don't fly or jump; they wait on vegetation for a host to pass by and then attach themselves. While ticks are present year-round, they're most active from spring through autumn.
How to Avoid Being Bitten by a Tick
To limit your chances of being bitten by a tick try to stick to clearly defined paths to avoid contact with vegetation. Ensure you, your family and friends wear light-coloured clothing to make spotting and removing ticks easier. Plus use insect repellents when spending time outdoors. You should also perform a thorough tick check after spending time outside.
How to Conduct a Tick Check
Ticks can bite anywhere on the human body, including your hair and more than one tick can attach to you at a time. Ensure that you check your clothes and body whilst outdoors and when returning home too. Common areas for ticks to attach include skin folds, armpits, groin, waistbands, neck and hairline. If you walk with dogs, be sure to check them for ticks too.
What Should I Do if I Have Been Bitten by a Tick?
If you or someone you know has been bitten by a tick, you need to remove them as soon as possible. Please follow the below instructions on how to remove a tick:
The safest method for removing a tick is to use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool.
Grasp the tick close to the skin.
Slowly and firmly pull upward to prevent leaving mouthparts in the skin.
Clean the bite area with antibacterial wash and water, and monitor it for changes over several weeks.
If you start feeling unwell with flu-like symptoms or notice a spreading circular rash (which often emerges within 1 to 4 weeks after a bite), contact your GP or call NHS 111 and inform them about your tick exposure.
Stay safe!