Enjoying nature in Australia can come with some dangers such as tiny blood-sucking ticks. Ticks are known to carry various diseases, including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularemia.
Avoid Tick Habitats
It is best to avoid walking through wooded, overgrown areas where ticks nest.
While keeping to well-trodden and marked trails is important, it is not a guarantee of safety. Ticks are known to be in highly frequented areas too, so you should steer clear of tall grass by the side of paths, where ticks can easily climb aboard.
Tick-Proofing Your Yard
Keeping your lawn mowed and tidy can help to lower your risk of tick bites at home.
If your yard is close to bushland or tall grassed areas, create a tick barrier using mulch or gravel to prevent ticks from traveling into your yard.
Properly Dressed
While working outdoors, hiking or camping, wear the correct clothing to avoid ticks.
You should wear loose-fitting layers that cover your arms and legs.
Light-coloured clothing is best, because it enables you to spot a tick—which looks like a dark speck—more easily.
Ticks cannot fly or jump so if going hiking or camping wear pants instead of shorts to minimise exposure.
Tucking your pant legs into your socks can help to avoid ticks.
Repellents
Using repellents can be a highly effective way to prevent tick bites and reduce the risk of getting any number of tick-borne diseases.
Before using always read the directions carefully.
Repellents quickly evaporate so they may need to be applied more frequently.
Use a tick repellent such as DEET for skin, and Permethrin spray for shoes and some clothing.
Keep Tweezers in Your First Aid Kit
Ticks latch onto skin, so if you do get bitten by one, it is important to know how to remove the tick safely and completely, without turning, twisting, or crushing it.
To do this, you will need tweezers. Keep a pair in your first aid kit —which should be easily accessible in your car.
Remove a tick by grasping its head with the tweezers as close to the surface of the skin as possible. Withdraw it slowly and steadily, using a smooth, constant motion.
Once it is out, clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water or rubbing alcohol.
Shower Immediately
If you have been working or playing outdoors, be sure to shower right away when you get home.
Showering in hot water within two hours has been shown to reduce the risk of getting Lyme disease and may reduce the risk of other tick-borne diseases too.
Showering will also wash away any unattached ticks and give you a chance to do a complete tick check on all areas of your body.
Body Check
Checking your skin for ticks is essential after you have spent time outdoors, especially in tick-prone areas.
Using a handheld or full-length mirror, look for small red bumps (bites) as well as bumps that have a black dot in the middle (where part of the tick remains).
Be sure to check the entire body, including in and around ears; under arms; inside the belly button; around the waist; between the legs; behind the knees; and on ankles and feet.
Have a friend or family member assist you in checking your hair and scalp, using a fine-tooth comb.
Heat Is Your Friend
Wash your clothing and gear (if possible) in hot water, then tumble dry on high.
Washing alone is not enough, clothes need to be machine dried to kill the bugs.
Cold and medium temperature water will not kill ticks, nor will air-drying or drying on low-heat settings.
If you have a tick bite followed by a fever, rash or suffer from anaphylaxis, seek medical attention immediately.
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