Ticks

A tick bite is generally harmless, but can make you ill if the tick remains attached to your skin for more than 24 hours. Therefore make sure you do not have a tick on your skin. It does not take long to check your skin for ticks following a walk in nature.
If you do find a tick, it is not difficult to remove it yourself.

What are ticks?

Ticks are mostly found in tall grass and shrubs. They do not fall from trees. Ticks are small brown-black animals that resemble small spiders (3-4 mm in size). Ticks require blood to reproduce. They obtain blood by attaching to the skin of people and animals after which they engorge themselves with blood.
The time of year they are active is very dependant on the weather. They are certainly present between April and September.

Lyme disease

An increasing number of ticks are becoming infected with a bacterium that causes Lyme disease. In some part of the Netherlands the number of infected ticks is as high as 50%. Lyme disease is an infectious disease that can lead to pain in arms and legs, swelling of joints and walking and orientation disorders. The disease can be treated well using antibiotics.
A red ring-shaped mark can appear in the area of the tick bite up to 30 days after a bite. This mark increases in size and feels warm. There can also be flu-like symptoms. People cannot infect each other with this disease. Removing a tick from a (pet) animal also does not pose infection risk.

Ticks and Lyme disease

Anyone who spends time in nature may receive a tick bite. Such a bite is generally harmless, but a tick may transmit Lyme disease. This disease can have serious consequences. Protection is therefore sensible. You can quickly remove a tick by checking your body - and that of others - for ticks. If you do so within 24 hours after the bite, the chance of contracting Lyme disease is almost zero. You only need to visit your doctor if you develop health problems. Lyme disease can usually be treated well with antibiotics.

How can a tick make someone ill?

Ticks can only make you ill if the ticks are infected with bacteria that can cause disease, AND if they have been attached to the skin for a sufficient period of time. In the Netherlands
ticks mainly carry the bacterium Borrelia. The bacteria can enter your body if the tick is attached to your body for longer than 24 hours. Most people do not become ill from a tick bite. Nevertheless, 17,000 people visited their doctor in the Netherlands in 2005 due to Lyme disease. It is therefore important to check for ticks.

Simple measures

Avoid contact with shrubs and tall grass. Stick to paths as much as possible and cover your body well. Examples of clothing to wear are closed shoes, long sleeves and trousers and tuck the legs into your socks.
Ticks can occasionally fall from trees. They will then crawl on the head of a child. Have children wear a cap as extra protection.
If you are going to an area with a high incidence of ticks, you can spray your skin and that of your children with Picksan Stop Ticks Spray.
Always check your clothing and body for ticks if you have been to areas with a high incidence of ticks.

Removing a tick

After a tick bite, the tick needs to be gripped as closely to the skin as possible with a tick remover. The remover subsequently needs to be lifted slowly. In this manner one can pull the tick out of the skin. It is important that the head is not left behind. After the tick is removed, the bite area needs to be disinfected with alcohol. Make a note of the date that you were bitten; this may make it easier for the doctor to make a diagnosis. Keep an eye out for symptoms, such as flu-like symptoms, for 3 months after the bite.

Visiting your doctor

Most people do not develop health problems. You also do not need to worry if there is a small, red mark on the skin around the area of the bite. This is a reaction to the bite itself. You only need to see your doctor if a red ring-shaped rash develops around the area of the bite, which becomes larger than 5 centimetres. Watch for symptoms such as flu-like symptoms.

What should you do if you receive a tick bite outside the Netherlands?

In foreign countries ticks may also carry diseases other than Lyme disease. If you are outside of the Netherlands you should also remove the tick as soon as possible - within 24 hours - and in the right manner. Make a note of the following information:

the date of the tick bite;
the area on the body you received the tick bite;
the country and area where you received the tick bite.

Report these details to your doctor if you start to suffer from health problems within 3 months following the bite.