WATCH: It’s peak season for ticks in the Lethbridge area, so Kimberly Tams sat down with Dr. Vivien Suttorp to discuss how you can protect yourself from the pesky crawler.
LETHBRIDGE – Ticks are little bugs that can cause big problems.
The small spider-like animals bite people and pets to fasten themselves onto skin and feed on blood.
Alberta Health says that while most don’t cause serious problems, it’s important to remove ticks immediately to avoid infection or disease.
Dr. Vivien Suttorp, the Medical Officer of Health for the South Zone, says to use tweezers to gently grasp a tick as close to your skin as possible, then slowly pull it straight out.
“You do not want to smother it with Vaseline or vegetable oil…and you don’t want to squash it,” said Suttorp.
She says to save the tick in a clean, empty pill bottle or Ziploc bag and then make an appointment to submit it for testing. This can be done at an Alberta Health Services Environment Health office, First Nationals health centre or veterinarian clinic.
Last year, 1,376 ticks were submitted to the Alberta tick surveillance program.
Ticks are checked to see if they carry the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which can cause Lyme disease in humans.
The illness is named after Lyme, Connecticut, where the first North American outbreak in humans was recognized in children in 1975.
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Symptoms of Lyme disease can start anywhere between three days and a month after a bite, and include a round, red rash, fatigue, headache, sore muscles and a fever.
The disease is rarely fatal, but can cause swelling and joint pain, as well as trouble focusing and weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles.
Between 1991 and 2014, 63 cases of Lyme disease were reported to Alberta Health.
“At this point there has been no Lyme disease acquired in Alberta. According to all the cases that have been identified, they were all acquired outside of the province,” said Suttorp.
Suttorp says spring and late summer are the most active seasons for ticks, but there are ways to protect yourself.
“Prevention is covering yourself up, wearing a hat. Ticks can drop from birds…so they can actually land on your scalp,” said Suttorp.
She also suggests wearing long pants and tucking them into your socks, so the bugs can’t hitch a ride in your cuffs.
You can find more information on Lyme disease and the province’s tick surveillance program on the Alberta Health website.
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