Keeping Tick Safe

When you are out and about, it’s important to make sure you:

• Wear long-sleeved tops and long trousers, ideally tucked into your socks.

• Wear light-coloured clothes so the ticks are visible.

• Stick to clear paths and try not to wade through vegetation, especially long grass and bracken.

• Take a spare pair of clothes to change into at the end of your activity.

• Thoroughly check yourself for attached ticks at the end of your activity, and again when you get home.

• Put the clothes you have worn straight into a hot wash (and put them in a bag in the freezer for 24-48hours first)

If You Do Get Bitten…

Do not disturb or squash the tick’s body – this can make it regurgitate whatever it may be carrying (for example Lyme disease), and if you pop it the contents may spill onto your skin too.

Remove it quickly and safely (using a tick-removing tool or fine tweezers) by gripping the tick by the mouthparts as close to your skin as possible and pull steadily away from the skin.

Check the bite to make sure all the tick is removed.

• Wash the bite and then apply antiseptic cream to the skin around the bite.

• If there are bits of the tick you cannot remove yourself, or if you develop a circular red rash or flu-like symptoms – feeling hot and shivery, headaches, aching muscles or feel sick in the month after you are bitten – go and see your doctor as these could be symptoms of Lyme disease.

Tick-Borne Encephalitis

You may have heard the recent news that a cases of TBEV has been confirmed and its presence is now being monitored in England. Check out this handy infographic to learn more about the virus and how to keep yourself safe.

Educational Resources

Click below to download our comprehensive lesson plan covering viruses and ticks!

Tick Bite Prevention Week 2023 - Citizen Science Activity Pack

For tick bite prevention week 2023, we prepared these graphics aimed at a younger audience to teach more about what citizen science is, bring awareness to some other amazing projects and introduce our What makes viruses tick? project, and what we’d like you to do! Check it out below.