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Lyme Disease - Prevention and Personal Protection

Lyme disease is passed on to humans through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick.1 Infected blacklegged ticks need to be attached for at least 24 hours in order to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.1 Therefore, in order to prevent getting Lyme disease, it is important to take some simple steps to help make sure you do not get bitten by a tick.

 

What is personal protection?

Personal protection involves taking steps to help stop ticks from biting you and passing on Lyme disease. These steps should be taken when you are enjoying the outdoors to help prevent a tick bite:2

Before you go in areas where ticks can be found:

  • wear closed-toe shoes
  • tuck your shirt into your pants, and your pants into your socks
  • wear permethrin-treated clothing (always follow label directions)
  • wear light coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants to spot ticks easily
  • apply insect repellent containing DEET or Icaridin to clothing and exposed skin (always follow label directions)

While you're outdoors:

  • walk on cleared paths or trails
  • keep children and pets from wandering off paths
  • avoid using trails created by animals (such as deer and moose), as ticks are often found on the grass and plants along these trails

Before you return indoors:

When you're indoors:

  • do a full-body tick check on yourself, children, and persons in your care
  • shower as soon as possible, as it can help wash off unattached ticks
  • if you find an attached tick, remove it as soon as possible
  • you may not notice ticks on your clothes, so either:
    • put dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes
      • If your clothes are damp, you will need to dry them for longer.
    • wash your clothes in hot water and dry on high heat
      • Ticks can survive a cold-warm wash cycle. 
 

 

How to properly remove a tick

A picture of how to properly remove a tick, by pulling straight up from the skin using tweezers and steady pressure.

For safe removal of a tick, the Middlesex-London Health Unit suggests you follow these instructions:

  • Try to wear gloves when handling an engorged (blood fed) tick.
  • Use tweezers and grab the tick as close to the head as possible. Do not use your fingers.
  • Pull the tick upward and away from the body with steady pressure. Be sure to pull the tick straight out.
  • Once the tick has been removed, clean the area with soap and water. Seek medical attention if you are concerned about a possible skin infection.
  • Wash your hands thoroughly.

If possible, submit a photo of the tick to etick.ca or submit it to the Health Unit for identification. See Tick Identification for more information.

 

How to reduce ticks around your home:2

  • Mow the lawn often to keep the grass short.
  • Remove piles of leaves, tree brush, long grass, and weeds:
    • at the edge of the lawn
    • around stone walls and wood piles
  • Prune shrubs and trees to allow sunlight to filter through.
  • Create a wood chip, mulch or gravel border that is at least 1 metre wide between your lawn and:
    • shrubs
    • stone walls
    • forested area
  • Seal stone walls and other openings to help prevent animals such as deer, mice and other rodents from bringing ticks into your yard.
  • Place patios, decks and children's playground sets in sunny areas of the yard and away from yard edges.
    • Place playground sets on a wood chip or mulch surface.
  • Pets can bring ticks into your yard or home. Talk to your veterinarian about tick prevention for your pets.

See the Lyme disease web page to learn more about what ticks are and where they can be found.

What happens if a tick is found on a person’s body?

If you find a tick on person’s body, it is important to remove the tick as soon as possible. Infected blacklegged ticks need to be attached for at least 24 hours in order to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.1 View Ticks in Middlesex-London for more information on which types of ticks can pass on Lyme disease. If you remove a tick from a person's body you can submit a photo to etick.ca for identification or submit it to the Health Unit for identification. Learn more about how to identify and remove a tick from your body by visiting the Government of Canada - Lyme disease: How to remove a tick website.

Additional Information 

For more information about Lyme Disease, please contact the Vector-Borne Disease team at:

  • 519-663-5317

Copyright

Please note: Where indicated, the source of the information on this web page is the Government of Canada's Lyme disease: Prevention and risks OR How to prevent tick bites web pagea. The information is a copy of the version available at the URLs in the references section below.

 
Date of creation: October 1, 2012
Last modified on: March 17, 2025

Resources

 

Related Content

 

References

1Government of Canada. (2024, September 12). Lyme disease: Prevention and risks. Retrieved from
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/lyme-disease/prevention-lyme-disease.html
2Government of Canada. (2024, June 12). How to prevent tick bites. Retrieved from
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/ticks-tick-borne-diseases/prevent-tick-bites.html