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Tick Talk

Tuesday, 7 June 2016 08:14

Protect yourself and your family from ticks that could carry Lyme disease.

OXFORD COUNTY - The tick population is increasing in Southwestern Ontario.

That means the chance of getting lyme disease also inflates.

Peter Heywood, Manager of Health Protection with Oxford County Public Health and Emergency Services says there are risk areas, including the north shore of Lake Erie and the pineries. 

Heywood says if you are venturing out to a wooded area there are some precautions you should take.

"You want to consider closed toed shoes, long sleeve shirts and pants. Consider pulling up your socks over the pant leg to prevent ticks from running up your leg. Also, wear light coloured clothing to make it easier to spot ticks."

Heywood says there are measures you should take after returning from outside to prevent infection. 

"It is important to shower or bath two hours after being outdoors to remove any ticks that could be on your skin. If you identify a tick, it is really important to remove the tick between 24-36 hours. It is that time frame that usually prevents infections from occurring."

If you do find a tick on yourself Heywood says you should take it to the public health centre and they will send it away to a lab for identification and potentially testing.

Heywood talks about the symptoms of Lyme disease.

"Fatigue, fever, chill, headache, muscle and joint pain. Untreated symptoms can last years and can include reoccurring arthritis and neurological problems."

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