With Spring here and people spending more time outdoors, Interior Health would like to remind the public of the possibility of tick bites.
Ticks are small bugs that feed on human and animal blood and can carry disease. The most common tick in our area is the wood tick, which does not carry Lyme disease, but can carry others.
They are about the size of a sesame seed and are usually found in tall grass and wooded areas. Ticks burrow part way into the skin to bite and suck blood. They then drop off.
Interior Health says if you find a tick on a person or an animal, to remove it by wearing gloves and grasping the tick with needle nose tweezers. Then pull the tick straight out without squeezing it. After it is removed, clean the area with soap and water.
More information can be found at the interior health website, www.interiorhealth.ca.