Heath & Safety Moment - Ticks and Lyme Disease

Tick bites

Ticks and Lyme Disease

Hazard: Ticks feed on the blood of animals, including humans, and can transmit Lyme disease to humans through the Bacterium Borrelia Burgdorferi after feeding on infected animals. Ticks are most likely to transmit infection after being attached for more than 24 hours, as the bacterium takes time to migrate from the tick’s gut to its salivary glands. Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose as symptoms are like the common flu. Blood tests are taken in conjunction with clinical signs and symptoms as well as a tick-exposure history.

Recommended Actions to Remove Ticks:

• Using fine-tipped tweezers, carefully grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible. Pull straight out, gently but firmly
• Don’t squeeze the tick. This can cause the Lyme disease agent to be introduced into your body
• Don’t put anything on the tick, or try to burn the tick off
• After the tick is out, place it in screw-top bottle and take it to a physician. They can send it to the Provincial Public Health Laboratory for identification
• Establishing the type of tick may help to assess your risk in acquiring Lyme disease
• Thoroughly cleanse the bite site with rubbing alcohol and/or soap and water