As the temperatures go up, then the pests arrive, some just annoying like flies and mosquitoes and other that can cause real damage if overlooked: garrapatas (ticks).

In fact, they are capable of transmitting diseases such as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and Lyme disease, among others.

People start walking in the campo in shorts and short sleeves and the grass has grown high, stretching across trails, just waiting for you or you dog to brush past.

Ticks, like other arthropods, are around but dormant during the winter, and besides we’re more covered up, even if they were active. Now they’re awake and hungry!

Now, there are several types of ticks in Spain, such as those of the genus Hyalomma, which are the main culprits that can give you Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, and there are those of the genus Ixodes, which transmit a wide variety of pathogens of clinical and veterinary importance, such as the encephalitis virus or the Borrelia bacteria, which causes Lyme Disease.

Furthermore, there are two distinct behaviours, which divide them: passive and active ticks. Passive ones place themselves within vegetation ready to drop onto their host – they don’t normally go for humans, but a lunch is a lunch, right?

Then there are the active ones, also called ‘hunters,’ which stay on the ground and move around in an active search for their host. No need to tie your running-shoe laces, because outrunning them isn’t a problem, obviously.

So if you have been out frolicking in the campo, when you get home, check your clothing and your skin. They normal go for places where you have skin folds, such as your as your groin or armpits.

And if you find one, resist the temptation to run around the room screaming, “We’re all going to die!” and just concentrate on removing it. Don’t wait to go to a medical centre, because you’re giving it time to transmit a disease, just get out the kitchen knife and amputate the affected limb… just joking! A serrated bread knife is better… just joking, honest!

You must grab the tick near the head and pull it straight up. Don’t worry if you arms falls off if it was located in your armpit… be more worried if its in your groin.

Once you’ve got the blighter out, put it in a jar because if you do feel unwell the next day or a mark appears where it was lodged, take the blighter down to the medical centre, so they can examine it for pathogens and establish the treatment required. Keep an eye out if the nurse goes for a bread knife… just saying!

(News: Granada, Andalucia)

Keywords: Ticks, Vegetation, Disease, Lyme Disease, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus

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