Tick-Proof Your HIKE: How to Protect Yourself in the Australian Bush
by Diamonds in the Rough Adventures (DITRA) Coach, Kalina
The “A” in DITRA stands for “Accept the unexpected”. Recently I had to draw on the DITRA spirit when what was meant to be a much anticipated overnight hiking trip ended up being cut short with a visit to the Emergency Department, all because of ticks.
Ready for a hiking adventure on the Central Coast!
The information below is specific to Australia and may differ for other countries. Australia has specific challenges, particularly around allergies, anaphylaxis, and mammalian meat allergy from bites from one particular tick (the Australian paralysis tick), and therefore has different recommendations for the safe management and removal of ticks than the rest of the world. In Australia, the tick season is from October to March as the weather warms up. While there are over 70 different types of ticks in Australia, there are three main types of ticks that are prevalent on the East Coast: paralysis tick, brown dog tick and bush tick.
A not-so-welcome brush with nature ended my hiking weekend.
In what environments are they found?
Contrary to popular belief ticks don’t fly or jump. They climb up on branches, blades of grass or other vegetation and wait for unsuspecting passers-by. They would then crawl on your clothes until they find a suitable place to bite.
Ticks vary in size greatly as they can bite at any stage of the life cycle (egg, larva, nymph and adult). Once on you, the tick would use its mouth, which looks a bit like a barbed harpoon, to inject a small amount of anesthetic and burrow into your skin, lodge itself and start feeding, which can last up to 6 days.
Why are ticks dangerous?
Ticks carry a range of bacteria and toxins that are transmitted into you through their saliva, which can cause illnesses such as:
● Allergic reaction/anaphylaxis
● Rickettsial diseases including Flinders Island spotted fever
● Queensland tick typhus
● Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks (DSCATT) - Lyme disease-like conditions. Australian ticks are not known to carry the Lyme disease bacteria.
● Mammalian meat allergy
● Paralysis
How to prevent being bitten?
Appropriate clothing and the use of repellent are the best ways to prevent tick bites. Wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. If it is a place known for ticks or a particularly overgrown track you may want to consider tucking your pants into your socks and tucking your shirt into your pants. The Australian Department of Health advice is that lighter colour clothing is recommended as this will allow you to see the ticks better. There is however international research which suggests that lighter clothing may attract ticks (Detecting ticks on light versus dark clothing, Louise Stjernberg et al, 2005, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16051573/, accessed 28/10/2024).
Feeling fine - my perfect shirt for preventing tick bites.
Repellents effective against ticks must contain DEET (eg: Bushmans) or picaridin (eg: Aeroguard). Always check the ingredients to make sure the product you are buying is suitable for you and your purpose. You can treat your clothes and gear with products containing permethrin. When using these products ensure that you read the instructions and side effects information thoroughly as they can damage equipment and GorTex.
What to do if bitten?
- Always check your skin after a bushwalk
Depending on their size, a tick can look like a small freckle or a large mole. It will feel bumpy and will grow larger as it feeds. Often you may see them on your clothing or feel them crawling on your skin. If on your clothing, flick them away using something other than your hand. They are difficult to flick off and will just attach to your hand. If you feel them on your skin it is important to quickly check that they have not attached themselves yet. If unattached, flick them away. Do NOT pull on or disturb a tick that is attached. Washing your clothing in hot water and drying them on a hot cycle will kill them from your clothes. Cold or warm wash is not effective in killing ticks.
Ticks can attach to any part of the body however they prefer softer and more sheltered areas, such as elbows, underarms, groin area, and bra line. Do not forget to check your hair, regardless of how much hair you have or whether you have been wearing a hat.
- First Aid on the spot
The first thing you should do is to establish whether the person is allergic to ticks.
Anaphylaxis occurs only with bites from adult ticks, is life-threatening and occurs when the tick is disturbed. Do not try to remove the tick. For anyone with a known tick allergy, managing and removing the tick must happen in a hospital or emergency department. All bites from adult ticks need to be treated as if anaphylaxis could result, as first adult tick bite anaphylaxis is not uncommon.
Freezing with a spray containing ether is the safest recommended way to kill a tick in situ. This should kill the tick immediately. If, after the first application, the tick is still moving, you can apply a second time. Tick anaphylaxis is very unlikely to occur when the tick is killed where it is with ether-containing sprays before it is removed (that is freezing it where it is).
After freezing, you may be able to brush the tick off. If you can not brush it off, seek medical assistance as soon as possible to assist with their removal. Even after freezing, squeezing a dead tick can lead to it injecting bacteria and toxins. When they are removed it is important that the whole tick is removed and the head does not remain under the skin. This can lead to infection. If this happens, seek medical assistance immediately.
- First Aid kit essentials
Freeze sprays containing ether should be part of your first aid kit. There are a range of products, such as MediFreeze Tick Off and Tick Tox, available from pharmacies and online without a prescription. Always read the instructions before application.
References:
1. Management of tick bites in Australia, Department of Health and Aged Care, November 2022, https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-11/management-of-tick-bites-in-australia_0.pdf
2. Tick bites, HealthDirect, https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/tick-bites#prevent, accessed 28/10/2024
3. Detecting ticks on light versus dark clothing, Louise Stjernberg et al, 2005, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16051573/, accessed 28/10/2024
4. Tick bites can make you really sick - so what is the best way to deal with them?, ABC Science and Technology, https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-01-01/what-do-you-do-when-you-have-a-tick/11789538, published 1/01/2020, accessed 28/10/2024