What to do if you get bitten by a tick (a guide for hikers)
There’s a lot of info out there about ticks, some right, some definitely not... Here’s what you actually need to know about ticks if you're hiking in the UK.
This covers:
What are the biggest threats to hikers?
What are ticks?
When is tick season?
Lyme disease
Tick-borne encephalitis
Are ticks a growing problem?
What we can do about ticks
How to prevent tick bites
Travelling to common tick bite areas (TBE Vaccine)
How long does it take to get Lyme disease from a tick?
How to remove a tick
Myths about tick removal (Should you use a match? What happens if the tick head is left behind?)
Tick bite symptoms and what to do if you get bitten by a tick
Lyme disease misdiagnosis
Should I be worried about ticks?
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/rspCGygM-EE
Here are my references:
[1] University Hospitals (2020) How Ticks Find You and Spread Disease. https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2020/06/how-ticks-find-you-and-spread-disease
[2] U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024) Treatment and Intervention for Lyme Disease. https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/treatment/index.html
[3] Marques, A. R., Strle, F., & Wormser, G. P. (2021). Comparison of Lyme Disease in the United States and Europe. *Emerging Infectious Diseases*, *27*(8). CDC https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2708.204763
[4] Lehrer AT, Holbrook MR (2011) Tick-borne Encephalitis Vaccines. J Bioterr Biodef https://www.omicsonline.org/tick-borne-encephalitis-vaccines-2157-2526.S1-003.php?aid=2262#8
[5] NHS (2024) Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tick-borne-encephalitis/
[6] Cook, M J (2014) Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment. National Library of Medicine https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4278789/
[7] UKHSA (2023) Be Tick Aware toolkit. UK Health Security Agency https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/642e966bfbe620000f17ddbe/Be_tick_aware_toolkit.pdf
[8] NHS (2025) Lyme disease. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/
[9] NHS Inform (2025) Tick bites. NHS https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/injuries/skin-injuries/tick-bites/
[10] Olsen, J (2017) Mayo Clinic Minute: Tick removal do’s and don’ts. Mayo Clinic https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-tick-removal-dos-and-donts-2/
[11] Nelson, S (2024) Lyme disease is becoming more common. But its symptoms aren't always easy to spot. BBC Future https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20240802-climate-change-is-increasing-the-risk-of-lyme-disease
[12] Lindquist L and Vapalahti O. (2008) Tick-borne encephalitis. Cited by: Glynn, S (2019) Tick Borne Encephalitis. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine https://www.welltravelledclinics.co.uk/sites/wtc/files/content/attachments/2019-07-01/Tick Encephalitis V4 20.6.2019_0.pdf
