Tick Bite Prevention Week is observed every year from March 24 to 30. It brings to light the precarious health disaster ticks can cause. Did you know that around 3,000 people a year get infected with Lyme disease as a result of a tick bite? Lyme disease can be contracted through the bite of an infected black-legged tick. Typical symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, fatigue, and difficulty in thinking, which can persist for six months or more. Untreated Lyme disease can spread to other parts of the body in several months and can cause arthritis and even nervous system problems.
History of Tick Bite Prevention Week
Ticks have evolved to become one of the most important groups of anthropic vectors of human pathogens. There are over 840 known species of ticks. The earliest ticks were collected between 1906 and 1912. Ticks are classified into two major families: Ixodidae, which are hard-bodied ticks, and Argasidae, which are soft-bodied. The Ixodidae are considered to be the most important family. The life cycle of ticks is complex, and even though they are associated with their parasitic habits, ticks spend most of their life off hosts and in vegetation.
Ticks go through four stages of life: From egg to six-legged larva to eight-legged nymph and then finally to an adult. After hatching from eggs the tick must consume blood at every stage of life to survive. Ticks will require many hosts to complete their full life cycle, which could last up to three years. Most ticks, however, die because they do not find a host for their next feeding. Ticks can feed on mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, and most ticks will have a different animal host at every stage of their life.
Ticks find hosts by detecting animals’ breaths and odors, or by sensing body heat, moisture, and vibrations. Ticks can’t jump or fly to attach themselves to the host, but they wait in a position known as ‘questing,’ in which they dangle from leaves and grass, and when the host brushes the spot, they quickly climb aboard.
Tick Bite Prevention Week timeline
A German physician named Alfred Buchwald first describes chronic skin rash or erythema migrans, which is now called Lyme disease.
Researchers notice symptoms of a group of people living in Lyme, Connecticut, and name the disease ‘Lyme.’
In 1981, Willy Burgdorfer finds a connection between the deer tick and Lyme disease while studying Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
With this, Lyme disease enters the top ten notifiable diseases by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tick Bite Prevention Week FAQs
How do you prevent tick bites?
Wear light-colored protective clothing and use chemical repellent.
Which season is tick season in Ontario?
Ticks are more active in summer and spring.
How soon after the tick bite does the bullseye appear?
It takes about three to 30 days after an infected tick bite for an expanding red area to appear.
How to Observe Tick Bite Prevention Week
Spread awareness
Spread the message about this disease that is caused by a tick bite. Teach people how to protect themselves from tick bites and what to do if bitten.
Read about ticks
Read everything you can find about the necessary precautions needed to prevent tick bites. Read research papers or articles on ticks.
Protect Your Furry Friends
It is imperative to protect your pets, as they can easily become carriers of ticks. By protecting your pets from ticks, you’re invariably protecting yourself.
5 Facts Tick Bite
Ticks are not insects
Although mistaken to be insects, ticks are arachnids, the family to which spiders, scorpions, and mites belong.
Ticks feed for days
Ticks bury themselves in the body of the host and feed for days.
24 to 48 hours to transmit disease
For ticks to transmit diseases, it takes around 24-48 hours of feeding time.
Ticks are not born with disease agents
Ticks acquire diseases during feeding and pass those in subsequent feedings.
Ticks can survive extremity
Ticks can survive for 200 days without food or water.
Why Tick Bite Prevention Week is Important
It spreads awareness
This week strives to spread information capable of saving thousands of lives. It outlines precautions against tick bites, which are carriers of many diseases.
It stands for a good cause
This week advocates for the health and well-being of all beings. It informs and educates people about the possible diseases caused by ticks and precautions against them.
It protects humans and animals alike
Ticks can infect humans and animals, hence are a threat to both. This week advocates for the protection of both humans and animals from tick bites.
Tick Bite Prevention Week dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | March 24 | Monday |
| 2026 | March 24 | Tuesday |
| 2027 | March 24 | Wednesday |
| 2028 | March 24 | Friday |
| 2029 | March 24 | Saturday |
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