The public is being reminded to take precautions when spending time outside, as tick season is already in full swing.

Vivian Onaemo, a senior preventative medicine resident with Saskatoon Public Health, says tick season generally lasts from April until October, however as time passes, it seems to be starting earlier in the year.

“It does have an earlier start, because we have warmer weather earlier,” she explains. “Whenever there is warmer weather, you expect that the tick season would start. That brings us to climate change.”

Between April and October, Onaemo advises the public to stay out of long grass or thick brush, but if you must venture out, to wear long sleeves, long pants, and long tucked-in socks to create a barrier between the ticks and your skin.

“Wear light coloured clothing, so that when the tick is on the body, you can see it…Preventative measures would include having insect repellent like deet.”

If you do happen to find a tick embedded in your skin, remove the tick with tweezers, clean the area with soap and water, put the tick in a tight container in the freezer, and watch for symptoms of infection or Lyme disease, such as a target shaped rash. You can also submit a picture of the tick to etick.ca to determine whether it is a potential carrier of Lyme disease.

“If that tick happens to be a concerning tick, they will require the actual tick to check for the presence of the disease.”