Updated

Updated · NorfolkToday.ca · Aug 18

Norfolk County Warns Tick Risk Can Last Into November as Lyme-Carrying Species Persist

Updated

Updated · NorfolkToday.ca · Aug 18

Norfolk County Warns Tick Risk Can Last Into November as Lyme-Carrying Species Persist

Q: Are popular home remedies for tick removal actually increasing your risk of contracting a severe tick-borne illness?

Yes. Popular home remedies such as burning a tick, smothering it with petroleum jelly, nail polish, essential oils or alcohol, or squeezing and crushing it can increase the risk of infection rather than reduce it. Public health agencies in Canada and the United States warn that these methods can stress the tick and cause it to regurgitate stomach contents or saliva into the bite site. That can raise exposure to pathogens carried by black-legged ticks, including the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, and potentially other infections such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus. Powassan is rare, but experts note it can cause severe neurological illness and may transmit faster than Lyme. The safest advice is simple: remove the tick immediately with clean, fine-tipped tweezers or a proper tick-removal tool. Grasp it as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out with steady, even pressure. Do not twist, jerk or crush the body. Afterward, clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water, rubbing alcohol or sanitizer. If mouthparts remain, they often work their way out as the skin heals. Residents in Norfolk can use eTick.ca for identification, but health authorities stress that tick testing should not guide treatment decisions. If the tick was attached for more than 24 hours, especially if engorged, or if symptoms such as rash, fever, headache or fatigue appear in the following days or weeks, contact a healthcare provider promptly.

3 articles · Updated · NorfolkToday.ca · Aug 18

Grand Erie Public Health urged Norfolk County residents to keep taking tick precautions, saying black-legged ticks that can transmit Lyme disease are still being found locally.
Officials said overall tick activity is similar to past years, but warned residents are not safe only because they avoid deep brush; ticks are also being encountered in more routine outdoor settings.
Health guidance includes long sleeves, closed-toe shoes, tucking pants into socks, using DEET or icaridin, checking the whole body after coming indoors, and showering within 2 hours.
Ticks attached for more than 24 hours—especially if engorged—should prompt contact with a healthcare provider, while residents can submit specimens to eTick.ca for identification.
Grand Erie is continuing tick dragging in Norfolk and Haldimand to track local species and disease carriage, with officials warning tick season can extend through September, October and sometimes November.