Achi news desk-
The warm weather that draws people outside also brings out ticks.
“In Nova Scotia, the ticks are all over the place and have been for a few weeks. New Brunswick and PEI, they’re also starting to feed on people and pets,” said biology professor and tick expert Vett Lloyd.
“We are at least a month early this year. Normally they would pick up slowly in April and we wouldn’t really get a big hit until May and we’re already picking it up.”
When Angela Whiteley got up from Easter dinner on Sunday and looked in the mirror, she saw a dark spot on her neck.
“I didn’t think it was a mole or anything so I looked a little closer and sure enough it was embedded there, the head was right in there, and it was very small, they very small,” said Whiteley.
The Weymouth, NS, resident went to the drugstore on Monday and got some medicine in hopes of staving off Lyme disease — something she didn’t do last summer after a red, blotchy rash appeared on her skin.
“I should have gone to the doctors long before I did. I suffered with it for about a week, which was just pure exhaustion and brain fog. “I finally went to the emergency department and, when he saw me, he took one look at me and said, ‘Yeah, you have Lyme,'” Whiteley said.
With ticks out earlier than usual, Lloyd is concerned that it will lead to more cases of the disease.
“Inevitably, more means more illness.”
When it comes to removing an embedded tick, Lloyd recommends using your fingers or tweezers to slowly pull in an upward motion to try and get the head. It’s also a good idea to hold on to the tick for a while in case symptoms start to show.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
