By Brady Lang

Watch out for signs of Lyme disease during tick season: Pharmacist

Jul 16, 2018 | 12:00 PM

It’s that time of year where people need to start watching for ticks and tick bites.

The disease most commonly associated with tick bites is Lyme disease, though it is quite rare. Deanna Zemlak, a pharmacist at Fishers Drug Store, spoke to battlefordsNOW about the disease and what signs to watch out for.

“It takes about three to 30 days,” she said. “It typically starts with a fever. The most common thing people will notice is a bullseye type of rash around where the bite mark was.”

If you suspect any sort of infection from the tick, Zemlak said it’s important to get it treated quickly.

“If they do start antibiotics quickly enough they can treat the infection,” she said.

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Preventing tick bites is quite simple, Zemlak said, and only consists of a few important steps.

“You can wear long pants and long-sleeve shirts when you’re out in long grass,” she said. “Many people use lint rollers over their clothes when they come in to catch any of them. You can use insect repellant with deet in it to deter them as well. Check in and around ears, your belly button, under your arms, and on the back of your knees.”

It is quite uncommon in Saskatchewan, yet Zemlak said Lyme disease is still something to watch out for.

“Lyme disease is rare,” Zemlak said. “Here there is only one type of tick that carries it. It’s not common for people to end up with the infection after, but it can happen.”

If you do end up finding a tick on your body, the pharmacist said it’s important to remove it correctly.

“You want to use a pair of tweezers,” Zemlak said. “Grasp the tick as close as you can to your skin and then pull it slowly out. You don’t want to twist it or do anything to irritate it. Don’t put Vaseline on it or anything like that; leave it alone and pull it out. You can put it in a container and take it to public health to get it tested.”

Despite the rarity of the disease, Zemlak said it’s worth keeping an eye open for the signs of Lyme after a tick bite.

“That rash around the tick bite or the fever would be the most common things to watch out for,” she said. “If you’re getting a headache, muscle or joint pain, you’re going to want to watch for that.”

brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangCJNB