Tick safety and prevention

ToneToEdo wrote a great blog yesterday about the fact that it is inoshishi (wild boar) season, and covered some important tips to be aware of to protect yourself. There is also another menace rearing their collective heads at this time of year, and that's ticks. 

Small, but they can be dangerous! Image created via Canva

They can be found in almost all of Japan, from tall grass and undergrowth in rural and suburban areas, to mountain trails and wooded parks, riverbanks and rice fields, and even in some city greenbelts or backyard gardens.

As is the case with inoshishi warnings, lots of local governments also put out alerts for ticks, like this one from the Nagaoka municipal office. They note some of the serious illnesses you can contract from ticks (scrub typhus, Japanese spotted fever, severe fever with thrombocytopenic syndrome or SFTS, and Lyme disease) and highlight ways you can avoid being bitten in the first place. They include:

-Wearing long sleeves, long pants, shoes that completely cover your feet, a hat, gloves, and even a towel around your neck to minimize exposed skin.

-Tucking the bottom of your shirt into your pants, and the bottom of your pants into your socks or boots. Not the most stylish, sure, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.

-Using insect repellent.

-Checking for bites after outdoor activity, paying particular attention to the neck, ears, armpits, groin, wrists, and backs of the knees.

If you do get bitten, the official advice is to visit a dermatologist or a medical institution, as yanking the tick off yourself may actually cause bigger issues.

A tick and mosquito warning poster from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare