It’s lovely to see the sun shining and the grass growing and nature doing its thing. The insect bites however are not quite so welcome!
Belgium (along with Austria) has the highest tick concentration in Europe (according to a tick map published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control).
Ticks feed on the blood of birds and mammals including humans. Whilst a tick bite may cause the usual insect bite symptoms of swelling, itching, blistering and bruising, some ticks carry Lyme Disease which can be transmitted to humans.
Typically it takes 3 to 30 days for the symptoms of Lyme’s Disease to develop and these include a circular rash around the bite which is often described as a “bull’s eye” on a dart board. This may get bigger over several days and the edges of it may feel raised. Flu-like symptoms are often reported too.
It is important to check yourself, your children and your pets when they get back from walking or playing on the grass. Good places to check are around the ankles, behind the ears and along the hairline although do check legs and arms if running through long grass or playing on grassed areas.
Not every tick will give you Lyme disease but the risk is not worth it.
To read more about preventing tick bites and when to call the doctor, click here
For information on how to remove a tick, click here
For more information on Lyme’s Disease, click here
