Dr. Matthew Blackwood is a Family Physician and is the Medical Director of the Bowen Island Community Healthcare Centre (BICHC). He has been instrumental in developing the primary care network model and team at the BICHC.
Summer vacation means being outside and enjoying nature more. After being outdoors, particularly after walking through long grass and wooded areas, it is important to check for ticks. Ticks are tiny bugs, about the size of a sesame seed, which feed on blood. Ticks burrow part way into the skin, bite, draw blood, and then drop off. The feeding tick’s mouth will be under the skin, but the back parts will be sticking out.
Check for ticks behind your knees, armpits, behind your ears, hair and even your bellybutton. If your pet has accompanied you on your walk, check them as well since they can transfer a tick to you!
How Can I Recognize a Tick?
Ticks are tiny bugs, about the size of a sesame seed, which feed on blood. Ticks burrow part way into the skin, bite, draw blood, and then drop off. The feeding tick’s mouth will be under the skin, but the back parts will be sticking out.
How to Remove a Tick
- Don’t panic
- Remove the tick with a fine pointed tweezer or plastic tick removal spoon being careful not to crush the head. Ticks bite and don’t burrow into the skin. Apply traction and don’t twist the instrument and the tick will release. Inspect the tick to see if it is intact. If you see what appear to be black dots in the bite there is no need to remove the remnants and simply clean the wound and apply a bandage.
- Place the tick in rubbing alcohol and flush it down the toilet. It is not necessary to send it for identification but helpful to take a photo which can help confirm the species.
- Check your children as well as your dog for ticks, which are often under the collar or in creases around the leg.
If you find a tick on your skin, you need to remove it as soon as possible. Check your entire body and clothing. Do not stop when you find one tick. There may be more. Make sure the lighting is good, so you don’t miss seeing the ticks. If you cannot reach the tick or see it clearly, get someone else to remove the tick for you or see a health care provider to remove it.
Will I Come Down with Lyme Disease?
Acquiring Lyme Disease with a tick embedded for less than 24 hours is extremely rare. Less than 1% of the ticks in BC are carriers for the bacteria, B Bordorferi which is the bacteria causing Lyme Disease. In BC between 2013 to 2022, 6 to 39 cases of Lyme Disease were reported each year and the majority were from out of province travel. Locally acquired cases were 1-14 per year.
In Ontario, if you are in an area where over 20% of the ticks carry Lyme Disease and they have been attached to you for over 24 hours then it is appropriate to take 1 dose of doxycycline. This can also be prescribed for children and pregnant women as a preventive measure to not become infected.
Recognize the Symptoms of Lyme Disease
No guarantees! In the first month after a tick bite you experience the following:
- Muscle and joint aches
- Headaches
- Fever
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Rash. The most common early sign is an expanding skin rash called “erythema migrans.” It begins as a reddened area near the tick bite. As the rash increases in size, it often clears in the middle and develops a red ring around the outside, so that it has a “bull’s eye” appearance.
If any of these symptoms exist it is important to see your healthcare provider for treatment, as the diagnosis is based on history and symptoms. Having a photo of the tick is helpful to show your doctor as well. The blood test is not positive at the onset of the illness but will become positive later which will help confirm the diagnosis. However, is important to start treatment immediately.