With many of us making the most of the warm weather and spending longer outside, it’s important to be aware of ticks as they increase at this time of year. Ticks are small, spider-like creatures that feed on the blood of animals and people. They can vary in size, from as small as a tiny freckle to a similar size to a baked bean!
They live in many different outdoor environments, but they are particularly common in grassy and wooded areas where they wait on vegetation for an animal or person to pass by, and then climb on, bite and attach to the skin and feed on blood for several days before dropping off.
You can try and prevent being bitten by ticks by keeping to clearly defined paths, using insect repellent (make sure that it says it repels ticks) and wearing light colour clothing, so ticks are easier to spot on you. After spending time outside, check yourself, your clothing, your pets and others for ticks. Remove any attached tick as soon as you find it using a tick-removal tool or fine-tipped tweezers.
And if you do get bitten, look out for early signs of Lyme Disease, which include mild-flu like symptoms (such as a fever, headache and fatigue) and a bulls-eye rash. If you feel unwell after being bitten by a tick, even when you don’t have a rash, contact your GP or NHS 111 and remember to tell them you were bitten by a tick or have recently spent time outdoors.
There’s lots of useful information in this leaflet from the Government’s UK Health Security Agency.