Whether you’ve been out hiking in the forest, walking your dog in a grassy area or even gardening you should be checking yourself for ticks when you come inside.
New Brunswick tick and Lyme disease researcher Dr. Vett Lloyd who is a professor at Mount Allison University says the thing that’s absolutely essential is that people have to assume they can encounter ticks anywhere at any time.
Springtime and fall might be the high seasons for ticks but Dr. Lloyd says you can encounter them year-round — even in the wintertime.
“In the winter there may be deep snow but you can come to an area where water is welling up from the ground, and around there you can still encounter ticks,” says Dr. Lloyd.
“At the end of the day when you’re brushing your teeth have a look at yourself in a full-length mirror minus clothes. You’re looking for things that look like a freckle but have legs on them.”
You can hear the interview with Dr. Lloyd on our weekly news magazine show Pulse NB this Sunday after the 9 am news and again at 9 pm.
Photo: DANIEL ST. LOUIS
