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Ticks are tiny bugs which feed on blood. Some are about the size of a sesame seed. Different ticks prefer different types of animals. Sometimes a tick will bite a person instead of biting an animal. While most tick bites do not result in disease, some do.
Ticks live in tall grass and wooded areas. They are easiest to spot on a person when they are actually sucking 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. They will be full of blood and blue-grey in colour. This is called an "engorged" tick.
If you have found a tick on your skin, you will need to remove it as soon as possible. Check your whole body and clothing. Do not stop when you find one tick. There may be more. Make sure the lighting is good so that you will not miss seeing the ticks. Get someone to help with young children and hard-to-see areas.
If you cannot reach the tick or see it clearly to remove it yourself, get someone else to remove the tick for you, or get your family doctor to remove it.
When to get a doctor to remove the tick
You should go to your doctor to get the tick removed if it has buried itself deep into your skin. This happens if the tick has been on you for several hours, or even a day or two. When a tick has burrowed deep into your skin, it is very hard to remove the tick without leaving some mouth parts behind, which can cause an infection.
Removing a tick
If you can remove the tick yourself, follow these instructions.
You can not remove a tick by covering it with grease or gasoline, or by holding a match or cigarette against the tick. This does not work! This only increases the chance of you getting an infection.
What to do with the tick once it is removed
To protect yourself and your family against tick and insect bites:
Several diseases can be passed to humans from tick bites. The most well-known is Lyme disease.
Borrelia burgdorferi, the organism that causes Lyme disease has been found in ticks collected from many areas of British Columbia, and dozens of Lyme Disease cases have been identified in the past 15 years. Many people with Lyme Disease have not travelled outside of the province, and it is likely they contracted the disease in B.C.
Not all ticks carry this bacterium, and there is only a very small chance of them giving it to you. However, because the resulting disease can be serious, it is worth taking steps to avoid being bitten.
Other diseases passed on by ticks include relapsing fever, tularemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF), Q fever and anaplasmosis formerly known as Ehrlichiosis. All of these diseases are rare in British Columbia.
Certain ticks may release a toxin that can cause temporary paralysis. This is the reason it is important to remove the whole tick as soon as possible.
If you have the following symptoms within days or weeks after being bitten by a tick, report them to your family doctor immediately. Tell your doctor when and where a tick bit you.
There are currently no vaccines licensed in Canada for any diseases passed on by ticks.
Lyme disease and other tick-related diseases can be treated with antibiotics. Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent complications.
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