Spot, remove, act: Your quick guide to tick safety
Ticks are small but potentially dangerous pests that can easily be mistaken for other insects. Before your next walk in the woods or stroll in the park, be sure to watch this report.
Ticks can be very dangerous because some carry Lyme disease. However, due to their small size, they can be difficult to identify if you are bitten.
You should always perform a tick check after spending time in the woods or tall grass, but knowing what to do if you find one is equally important.
Be sure to check your entire body, including your head and hair, in and around your ears, under your arms, around your belly button, and in your groin area. Ask someone for help with your back or use a mirror.
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If the mouthparts break off and remain in the skin, remove them with tweezers. If this is not easily done, leave them in and allow the skin to heal.
Do not stomp on the tick or throw it away.
Bringing the tick with you to a pharmacy can help them identify it and determine whether it has fed on you, which will influence whether you need immediate medical intervention.
You can also identify the tick yourself by snapping a photo and uploading it to etick.ca.
If you do not have the tick, record where and when you think you were bitten for your records.
Lyme disease is spread through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks.
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(Feature image courtesy of Erik Karits via Pexels)