Thursday 5 July 2012

Ticks, and Lyme Disease: PREVENT IT!

It is in the news. Problem is, with 10 or so cases in Ontario, it is misunderstood by both
Tick, 0.5 cm!
It was swollen with blood,
now deflated!
victims and physicians. The headlines are frightening. Symptoms are misconstrued, and doctors are blamed.
Tests are unspecific, not done, or victims are unaware that they have been bitten.

There are ways to prevent getting Lyme Disease. Once the tick is attached, it takes 24 hours for it to transmit the bacteria to your body. Find them, take them off, prevent the disease.

A close-up view!
Lyme disease testing in Canada questioned

Advocates with Lyme disease are calling on all levels of government in Canada to improve testing and treatment for the illness. The disease is spread by a bite from an infected black-legged tick that introduces bacteria into the bloodstream. Without antibiotic treatment, it can cause a complicated, serious illness.
My belief is that we need to work more on protecting ourselves, PREVENTION; not in testing and treating. It is only smart to be aware. This is what they look like close-up. You have to understand what they look like and remove them before they have a chance to infect you.

Grasp tick with tweezers, pull the entire thing out.

Having spent a fair amount of time in our local provincial park, Murphys Point Park, we've made a point of learning about it.

Firstly, you must check yourself, legs mostly, every day if you are in an area where ticks are present.

If you remove it before 24 hours, the tick will not have time to transfer the bacteria from its body to you!

We first came across ticks when hubby's cat got one on her forehead. Unlike deer flies, who attack the back of your head, the ticks embed themselves on animal's faces, where they can get in between sections of fur.
In human cases, they climb up socks, and under pant legs, where they won't be shaken off.

4 comments:

Red said...

Learned all I need to know when I was taking 37 gr. 7's hiking in the Rockies. The kids were aware of ticks and where they might pick them up.
Thanks for going over this again.

Cloudia said...

excellent advice



Have a fine Weekend!

Aloha from Waikiki
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Linda said...

Our daughter is suffering the effects ot Lyme's disease - she has done animal rescue for many years, and apparently, some years ago, she was infected. It has caused all kinds of problems - so we are VERY careful about ticks...

Lorac said...

Oh geez I hate ticks! Pretty careful about them as well. Have found them several times on the animals.