Watch out for ticks on your journey while travelling and enjoying Australia's bushland, whether you're camping, bushwalking, dog walking, or you're a farmer out working on the land. In parks and all outdoor activities, especially gardening. Anywhere there is grass, plants, scrub trees, piles of leaves or logs - ticks are all along the East Coast of Australia now.
Remember ticks lurk under piles of leaves where children and pets play.
TICK- BORNE DISEASES ARE PREVENTABLE
- Dress to protect yourself by wearing long sleeve shirts, and long pants tucked into high socks.
- Wearing light-coloured clothing makes it easier to see ticks crawling on you and children.
- Using repellents can be a highly effective way to prevent tick bites and reduce the risk of getting any number of tick-borne diseases.
- Some repellents quickly evaporate so they must frequently be applied.
- Use a tick repellent such as DEET for skin, and Permethrin for clothing and shoes.
- One of the best preventions for tick bites is to purchase pre-treated Permethrin clothing (active for 70 wash cycles) such as Insect Shield or Bisley Workwear®. Insect repellent clothing is also available from Safari Life East Coast. Contact Lyndy Rees
- Oil of lemon eucalyptus is a botanical-based alternative, and a concentration of 30-40% is recommended. Do not use products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus on children under three years old.
- YaMate is an Australian owned and manufactured natural repellent and registered with the APVMA. Click this link to buy.
HOW TO REMOVE A TICK
- Don't risk squeezing or aggravating a tick as squeezing, burning or putting any substance on it can cause the tick to release its toxic saliva into you which increases the risk of tick-borne diseases.
- Using fine pointed tweezers grip the tick as close to the surface of the skin as possible.
- Pull upward with even steady pressure and never twist or jerk a tick out.