Here’s what you need to know as tick season arrives – CBC.ca

Spring temperatures herald the open of tick season in Nova Scotia.

The supreme area is bites from gloomy-legged ticks, which would possibly carry the micro organism that causes Lyme illness, an infectious illness.

The Division of Health considers most of mainland Nova Scotia excessive threat for Lyme illness. This year, it has also added Cape Breton County, which encompasses the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, to that checklist.

Steve Sutherland, the host of CBC Cape Breton’s Records Morning, spoke with Dr. Daniela Kempkens, the medical officer of successfully being for the jap region of Nova Scotia.

This interview has been edited for readability and length.

Why has the Division of Health changed the threat field for CBRM from decrease to larger?

Nova Scotia has a in point of fact upright climate for tick populations. Gloomy-legged ticks survive easiest in areas that offer a in point of fact moist ambiance, and so they are in most cases discovered in or end to forested areas, long grass, fallen leaves, stuff like that.

In 2017, your entire province of Nova Scotia was declared an at-threat rental. Per annum the classification for each and each county is reviewed to search out out whether or not or not it is decrease, moderate or excessive threat. That’s fixed with human records on Lyme illness cases, as successfully as records on ticks.

So when the department reviewed the records for Cape Breton County this year, they’d to invent the decision that it has long past from a decrease to a excessive threat. However it absolutely is crucial to stress that there is a threat for gloomy-legged ticks and Lyme illness across your entire province.

What’s the threat from having gloomy-legged ticks?

We’ve got several ticks in Nova Scotia and gloomy-legged ticks are the handiest ones that carry Lyme illness. Can obtain to you’re bitten by a tick, it does not imply it is possible you’ll accumulate Lyme illness. It depends upon the vary of tick that has bitten you, and then the tick wants to carry the micro organism that would possibly well cause Lyme illness. And, very importantly, it also depends upon how long the tick has been linked.

The threat handiest increases if the tick has been linked for 24 hours or more. So or not it is crucial that within the occasion you are within the exterior, and likewise you come motivate inner, that you compare yourself and your young other folks for ticks to be definite that you obtain them early and engage away them before they’ve been linked for larger than 24 hours.

An grownup female Lyme illness tick shown with a quarter for scale. (CBC)

The put whilst you happen to acquire a study?

You have to compare your entire body. However they like warmth and moist areas, so especially compare your armpits, the rental spherical your groin, your waist and uninteresting the knees.

    

And what are you looking for?

When ticks haven’t been linked a in point of fact long time, or looking on what stage within the life cycle they are, they’ll also be the truth is microscopic and not easy to sing. You are searhing for a small gloomy dot that is linked someplace, and within the occasion you fetch that you would have interaction tweezers, appropriate traditional ones that you are going to acquire spherical your rental. You accumulate the tick with tweezers as end to the pores and skin as that probabilities are you’ll well presumably also trust, and likewise you gently and slowly pull the tick straight out of the pores and skin. It be crucial not to jerk or twist or squeeze it.

As soon as the tick is removed, you good the rental of the chew with soap and water. They obtain got different sizes, looking on their life cycle, so or not it is instantaneous that you are going to acquire a shower after you come in in from the exterior inner two hours. That will serve wash away any ticks that haven’t linked themselves yet.

How attain they accumulate on you?

Ticks produce not soar. They produce not cruise. They climb up in shrubs or long grass. They await a warmth body like a pet or a human to brush by and then they’ll build themselves to you. It be the truth is that contact to the brush or the leaves that is mandatory.

And the postulate is you produce not have to squeeze the body whilst you happen to’re striking off it because that squeezes the stuff into you?

That’s honest, you appropriate have to softly retain the tick, and pull it up slowly and straight up, to have interaction away it.  After which or not it is also crucial to put off it properly. You might want to either flush it down the bathroom, probabilities are you’ll well presumably also drown it in rubbing alcohol, and even freeze it in a plastic fetch and then put off it in your fashioned household rubbish. 

This ‘bull’s-survey’ rash is a odd symptom of Lyme illness. (Novascotia.ca)

You would possibly not reduction it to title it?

The fashioned public will not be requested to submit ticks.

I ponder within the occasion you saved it, someone would possibly well presumably impart certain, that was a gloomy-legged tick, probabilities are you’ll well presumably also very successfully be at threat?

Even though it was a gloomy-legged tick, we produce not know if that tick was contaminated with the micro organism that causes Lyme illness. So the truth is, within the occasion you had a tick chew, you would possibly sight out for signs and signs that would possibly well presumably create in three to 30 days.

You would possibly well presumably look a rash. Now and again that appears to be like a bull’s-survey, but additionally some more unspecific signs like fever, chills, headache, feeling drained, aching muscle groups and joints, and presumably swollen lymph nodes, and within the occasion you are going to acquire these signs, you would possibly positively budge to sight your major-care provider.

And within the occasion you did have interaction away a tick from yourself or one in every of your young other folks, it would possibly perchance probably well presumably be tidy to write down the date, and the sphere for your body, so that probabilities are you’ll well presumably also give your successfully being-care provider a small more records about how grand time has handed by because the tick bit you.