To cancel holiday due to ticks

[worrier7]

Myself, DH and our two young sons are going on holiday this month. We'll be staying in the UK, in a very rural, self-catering cottage. We're hoping to enjoy some country walks and also spend time at the local beach.

However, I recently read an article about Lyme Disease and how it's caught from ticks living in long grass. I'm now terrified that one or more of us could get a tick on our skin and catch Lyme Disease, which sounds terrible.

I'm wondering whether to cancel the holiday altogether and book somewhere in a town instead. We were really looking forward to our countryside holiday but I'm now hugely anxious about the ticks - especially as my sons are very active and will no doubt want to play in the long grass. What would you do?

[Eloisedublin123]

Go on holiday but check for tick bites at the end of each day!

[LizziesTwin]

I would buy a tick removal device from a pet shop and check everyone for ticks when we came back from walks.

[vodkaredbullgirl]

Bit ott to cancel holiday.

[RealBecca]

Id wear trousers and long sleeves on country walks.

[Taliskerskye]

I mean I am going to try to be nice
Have you never been to the countryside before?
This wouldn’t even cross my mind. But do as the above poster said.

Your child if you live in a city is more likely to suffer in a car accident or from pollution

[Starjammer]

Just check them for ticks. I wouldn't cancel a holiday over it! Our dog routinely comes home with them and we just twizzle them out. I would never cancel a holiday on the off-chance that a) they might get a tick and b) that it would then end up in Lyme Disease. I think there are far more likely injuries to happen on a holiday!

[MiddleParking]

I would absolutely go. Your position is no different to yesterday when you —were living under a rock— didn’t know that Lyme disease was transmitted by ticks!

[QuitMoaning]

I think you may be overly anxious about this. I have lived in countryside for many years, , know many many people living in countryside, have family’s members in the medical profession and I have never known a single person get Lyme’s disease

Ever.

It is obviously not impossible but the risks are ridiculously tiny.

[Nonamenoplacetogo]

I live in the countryside and we get the odd tick on us. My daughter found one on her tummy recently after walking in full rain gear. You need to check yourselves after walks and have a tick removal tool handy. You just need to be proactive and check after walks, it’s not a big issue really. Why on earth would you cancel your holiday?

[ApolloandDaphne]

That is a lot of anxiety about something that probably won't happen. I live somewhere where there are deer (they tend to be carried on deer) and my dog sometimes gets ticks which are easily removed but I have never had one. Just make them wear long trousers when playing in long grass and check them at night when you bath them. I wouldn't change the holiday.

[Newfluff]

The most dangerous thing about going on holiday by a mile would be driving. Plus ticks with possible Lyme are everywhere there are deer, which is everywhere.

Check whole body everyday and buy a ticket remover for about £3 just in case. I've honestly had hundreds as have my kids, being able to remove them whole is so important as that means they don't vomit there stomach into your blood. Doctors are much more aware of Lyme and it is treatable with antibiotics.

[m0therofdragons]

I live in an area where ticks are apparently a way of life yet, despite dog walks through fields, in my 18 years living here I’ve still never seen one. Have a lovely holiday and just check over each night. Maybe buy a tick remover.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

OP, your anxiety is hugely out of proportion to the risk. I suggest talking to your GP about ways to tackle this.

[ViceLikeBlip]

Long trousers, and socks and shoes (rather than bare feet and sandals) and you'll be fine. We live in an area with loads of ticks, and my kids have had a few, but only ever when they've been in long grass with bare feet and or legs. Since I've been a bit stricter about this, they've not had a single one.

[GreenTortoise]

No, let your kids enjoy their holiday.

[IonaLeg]

Go on the holiday, just keep an eye out for ticks.

[IonaLeg]

(Ticks on your kids, I mean)

[Beamur]

Wear long sleeves and full length trousers when walking in long grass.
Even if you pick up a tick, they don't all carry Lyme's disease and even if you were unlucky enough to get bitten by a tick carrying Lyme's, if spotted can be treated with antibiotics.
Be aware of it, but don't worry too much.

[averylongtimeago]

Yabu. Ticks are present pretty much everywhere- hedgehogs, deer, livestock all can carry them, so you could pick one up in the park.

Millions of people live in and visit the countryside - we are not all infested with ticks. If you have been in an overgrown area, check for ticks before bed. If in the unlikely event one has attached, use a tick tool to remove it, don't try to just pull it off.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/OTom-02-3785-Otom-Tick-Twister/dp/B0089BOK12/ref=ascdff_B0089BOK12/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309819532054&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16100045410942016935&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046363&hvtargid=pla-400577032211&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

[TheYearOfSmallThings]

I got bitten by a deer tick 10 years ago when I was prancing around the French Alps. I then developed the rash, the flu like symptoms, and tested positive for Lyme disease. 2 weeks of Vibramycin and I was as good as new, never had a problem since.

I don't avoid the countryside because it wasn't the end of the world, and I will be more aware to check myself for ticks in the future!

[MzHz]

Get a tick remover! My oh has a stack of them, they’re credit card size. Cost is a couple of quid on eBay. We have tick tweezers too.

I got a sodding tick last week… from my garden!

I’ll see if I can find a link

[haggisaggis]

Just buy a tick remover and check them each night at bedtime. It's fine.

[UrAWizHarry]

YABU.

Just wear long trousers in grassy areas and give yourself and the kids a checkover at the end of the day. Get a tick remover (or just pack a pair of tweezers) just in case.

[LanisHouseLot]

The tick has to be attached for quite a while to risk transfer of the bacteria that cause Lyme, and that's assuming that it's a tick actually carrying it.

I would get the tick remover, do tick checks before bed, and familiarise yourself with the appearance of the bull's-eye rash to keep an eye out for. Then just enjoy your holiday knowing the risks are small and you've taken steps to cope in the unlikely event that any ticks appear.

[LemonRoses]

Only a small minority of ticks in the UK are infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Being bitten by a tick does not necessarily result in Lyme disease.
Lyme is more prevalent in South and Highlands.
Lyme's isn't common in UK with only about 2,000 cases a year.

If you must worry then perhaps take sensible precautions if you are in a high Lyme area and walking in long grass. Wear long trousers or leggings tucked into socks and long sleeves. Wear boots. Do not roll around in long grass in high risk areas.

Do a visual check each day. Remove any ticks you see, if any. There probably won't be any on the people. I walk most days in long grass in the South and have never had a tick here - although dogs have. I have had ticks in the Alsace where Lymes is endemic. If you think you may have contracted Lymes go and get antibiotics.

Somewhat excessive to think of cancelling a holiday - I'd make sure your tetanus is current, carry a large stick if walking through a field of Belted Galloways, only swim in rivers where you know the current and depth and watch out for deer in the road - all probably a much higher risk than Lymes.