Watch out for ticks this long weekend, health officials urge
Posted Oct 5, 2018 04:15:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
With a Thanksgiving long weekend that promises some pleasant fall weather, the local public health unit is urging us to take precautions to ensure a weekend stroll through the woods with a pumpkin spice latte doesn't end with a tick bite.
The little bloodsuckers are still an issue at this time of year, even though summer is over. They're a risk in areas with tall grasses — which one can run into while walking along a trail, hiking in the woods, or doing some yardwork.
“If you can, wear light-coloured clothing,” said Mike Ferguson, Ottawa Public Health. “It's a little bit easier to see a tick.”
Long sleeves and long pants will leave less exposed skin for ticks to burrow into, and Ottawa Public Health even recommends going so far as to tuck your pants into your socks.
After being outside, Ferguson recommends checking yourself, your children and your pets for any ticks on skin or clothes. If one has burrowed its head into you, it's time to grab the tweezers.
“You want to pull it straight out,” Ferguson told 1310 NEWS. “You want to grab it right down at the base, where it's trying to burrow into your skin, and then pull it straight out.”
The danger of tick bites is Lyme disease — so Ferguson says to keep an eye out afterward for any chills, achiness, fever or fatigue — even if you don't develop the tell-tale bullseye tick bite.
