Ticks & Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is carried by the black-legged tick which transfers Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium through its bite. Not every black-legged tick carries the bacteria which causes Lyme disease, but some areas of Canada are considered higher risk. Ticks migrate by attaching to wildlife and birds, so they can end up anywhere. Ticks are active as soon as the snow melts, but the ones that carry Lyme disease are present at variable times in your region. Your provincial government website can provide the most recent update on Lyme disease risk in your area. Check this every year, as the migration of ticks changes every year. Lyme disease can cause long-term illness affecting muscle, joints, heart, and nervous system. Most people fully recover with proper antibiotic treatment, but left untreated, it may cause serious symptoms lasting months to years, or even lead to death. Adult and young black-legged ticks can carry the bacteria, but preventing their bite or removing them within 24 to 36 hours are ways to reduce Lyme disease. Having a “tick removal kit” on hand is an inexpensive way to prevent a debilitating, long-term disease.

Prevention Steps For Ticks and Lyme Disease:

• Wear socks over your pants and long-sleeved shirts to prevent ticks from crawling onto skin
• Optez pour des chaussures fermées ou des bottes
• Light-colored clothing makes spotting the darker tick easier
• Appliquez un répulsif à base de DEET ou d'icaridine sur la peau exposée (suivez les instructions figurant sur l'étiquette)
• Évitez les herbes hautes, les zones boisées et les broussailles où les tiques peuvent tomber ou s’accrocher lorsque vous passez à proximité.
• Keep your green area trimmed and clear of leaf or other debris
• Ask your veterinarian for the best tick prevention for your pet
• Vérifiez si vous avez des tiques lorsque vous rentrez chez vous
  • Do a full-body check on yourself, your children, and pets
  • Prendre une douche ou un bain à son retour afin de faciliter un examen complet, notamment au niveau des aisselles, des plis cutanés, de l'aine, du nombril et des cheveux.
  • Mettez les vêtements dans le sèche-linge et faites-les tourner à haute température pendant 10 minutes, ou suspendez-les au soleil pendant 15 minutes pour éliminer les tiques.
• Emportez une trousse pour retirer les tiques ou une pince à épiler pointue lors de vos randonnées et gardez-en une chez vous

Do a full-body inspection of yourself and children after walking or playing outdoors. Don’t panic and pull off a tick that has bitten into the skin! Crushing a tick with your fingers can introduce infection. Methods to remove ticks risk getting the tick to inject more bacteria into you (grabbing the body with fingers, or attempting to apply heat or substances to get the tick to “back off”). Use the right method to remove ticks. Tick removal with a tick remover or pointed tweezer, accurately grasping the head and next to the skin with an upward, steady pull will dislodge the insect without squeezing the body. Clean the bite area with soap and water or rubbing alcohol. If you think the tick is a black-legged tick, save it for testing. There are other tick removal devices, discuss the proper use of tweezers or tick remover with your pharmacist. Symptoms of Lyme disease are the same with many other illnesses, making it easy to dismiss, and difficult to diagnose. Saving the tick, recalling when and where you got the bite can help your doctor diagnose if you have Lyme disease. Seeking treatment as soon as possible will control symptoms, prevent long-term health issues, and speed up your recovery.

See your doctor if you have any of these Lyme disease symptoms:

• • Fièvre
  • Frissons
  • Douleurs musculaires ou articulaires inexpliquées
  • Fatigue
  • Éruption cutanée
  • Anneau inflammatoire en forme de « cible » autour de la piqûre de tique

Your PharmaChoice pharmacist can help you put together a tick-removal kit, and answer questions regarding Lyme disease.