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?

[MacarenaNonsense]

*Buy. Not "But".

[AskingQuestionsAllTheTime]

forinborin
Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis are relative newcomers to these shores

Heh! Neil Carter in The Archers got Lyme disease from a tick during last century.

[Spaghettipie1]

Tick has to be on your skin for 36- 48hrs to transmit Lyme's disease. Nightly tick check and get a tick twister. My little girl always gets them and we just twist them off easily, nothing left in the skin. Definitely don't cancel, that would be a shame. Have fun x

[Dilligaf81]

Seriously you'll be fine. I walk in long grass in a lime disease area (it's not everywhere in the UK) and I've never had a tick. Only the dog and 1 of my 5 children have.
A pair of tweezers remedied that situation with no repercussion.
If you do find one watch a YouTube video so you can confidently remove it head and all.

[NerrSnerr]

Do people really wear long trousers tucked into their socks or cuffed trousers all summer? I grew up playing in long grass, live semi rural now so my children do too. We just wear shorts/ skirts or whatever. I think I found one tick on me as a child right in the centre of my chest but didn't know what it was at the time.

[Housechaos]

We get ticks in our garden, we've all survived so far. Also surrounded by sheep and deer (lots of ticks) and never had a problem. Long sleeves etc if you're that worried.

[Mushybananas]

Sorry to hop on this thread. Does anyone know if it’s possible to get a few tick bites at once, is it possible to mistake them for a few mosquito bites?

[Sparkle5]

We live in Cornwall but have just spent two weeks in The New Forest, going on walks and bike riding. Loads of wild life around and plenty of countryside but no ticks. I think you are over reacting. Go and enjoy yourself.

[MsAdoraBelleDearheartVonLipwig]

I've honestly had hundreds as have my kids

Jesus. Really? I’ve lived in the countryside all my life and walked dogs every day and have never had a tick. That’s nuts.

Perhaps they don’t like me?

[Mum6457]

We get them here now and again. DC know they've got them and have never had a target rash.

[ErrolTheDragon]

@Mushybananas

Sorry to hop on this thread. Does anyone know if it’s possible to get a few tick bites at once, is it possible to mistake them for a few mosquito bites?

You can get more that one tick at a time, but they're distinguishable because of the presence of a tick, even if it's a small one.

I do loads of country walking and have never had one. My dog once got a few at once, and DH has had one two a small handful of times. I think he's more attractive to them (he is to horseflies too, poor thing).

[WelshWhisky]

Sorry to hop on this thread. Does anyone know if it’s possible to get a few tick bites at once, is it possible to mistake them for a few mosquito bites

Ticks remain in the skin and need to be removed. Nothing at all like mosquito bites.

[saraclara]

I'm amazed at the posts from people who say they've had dozens/hundreds of ticks. How have I managed 40 years of rural living without ever having had one?

On the other hand, mosquitoes love me, and if you want to know if your pet has fleas, just put me next to them and if there are any they'll hop right on.

[luckyrabbits]

One of my colleagues got a tick in central London whilst sat in a courtyard having a drink. He developed the bullseye rash and so got some antibiotics. He was fine.

[WelshWhisky]

On the other hand, mosquitoes love me, and if you want to know if your pet has fleas, just put me next to them and if there are any they'll hop right on

Snap! 😩 Ticks are the least of my summer problems!

[junebirthdaygirl]

60 here and have lived and walked in the countryside all my life and never gave one thought to ticks. Never checked once. Always in shorts all Summer, walking every day. If we were to worry about every possibility in life we would go crazy.
Saying that my brother lives in a very busy city in the US and got Lymes disease from ticks in deer in a local park so no where is safe but don't bother giving it one thought. Just enjoy your holiday.

[cakeallday]

We walk our dog in countryside once or twice a day - in 5 years only one of us has ever been bitten by a tick, even though the ticks are everywhere.

In summer we just check the dog after each walk so you could do this with your children.

And buy a tick tool in case you need it.

It's really not a big deal.

[Marriedatfirstyear]

Just reminded me.... I had a tick on my back for a whole week. I thought it was a scab and waited for it to heal, only for it to get bigger. It was between my shoulder blades so could see properly. Wasn't until I asked my ds to have a look that I found out what it was. Didn't get sick from it. It's rare to get LD. Go amd have fun OP.

[JustCallMeBubblesDahling]

We’ve hiked a lot all over the UK and the only place we’ve ever had a tick (on DH) was in the wilds of Scotland.

OP, In case you haven’t seen it, read this from the Health and Safety Executive on Lyme Disease. You’d probably have more chance of falling/tripping and breaking your leg on a walk, than getting a diseased tick stuck on you.

www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/zoonoses-data-sheets/lyme-disease.pdf

[Deckchair1009]

That reminds me of a “blackhead” my son had on his back a few years ago, it was so tempting to pop, until I saw the legs poking out! I twisted it off and freaked about Lyme disease, but he was fine. It shouldn’t stop anyone enjoying the summer in long grass, but rather do checks after, escape especially bodily crevices and hair! Tick remover is the best way, none of this spraying with hairspray or burning off malarkey- that makes them regurgitate into the wound 🤮

[Esspee]

I live in a large city. Since lockdown when the council used covid as an excuse to do nothing our parks are full of long grass hoaching with ticks. I have been told the transfer from dogs taken for country walks then taken to the parks are the means of transmission. Ever let your children play anywhere dogs have been OP?

[Esspee]

Most tics I've seen recently are very tiny. They look like tiny black spiders until they latch on and swell up.

[Localocal]

Long trousers for country walks and a tick remover, as others have said. There are ticks carrying Lyme disease in the London parks that have deer in them too - it's not just the country.

[Junkmail]

I pull ticks off my dogs (and myself 🙈) on an almost daily basis! If you remove them within 24 hours of them latching on there’s a very low chance of disease spreading to you. My husband has Lyme disease which he got when he was a child but he grew up in an area of the US where the disease is much more prevalent.

You can buy a little hook tool that makes removing them super easy. I got mine at the vet. Do a tick check each evening and you’ll be fine. Not something to cancel a holiday over.

[LankylegsFromOz]

I must admit I haven't RTFT, just OP comments.

But OP, I live in Oz and where I live is right in the thick of tick country. They are nasty little fuckers, but dangerous to animals. My understanding is they are harmless to humans except on very rare occasions where they may cause Lymes disease. I have never met a sole who has had this condition in my 50 years.

So I think you'll be fine on your holiday. But maybe just never plan to visit Australia. Ticks are the least of our creepy crawly worries 😉