A nice walk through the Zoetermeer nature; for some Zoetermeer residents (and their four-legged friends) that is pure enjoyment! If you are one of these nature lovers, pay attention: it is the tick season. Here you can see the number of reports of tick bites in the past month.
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Through the map of Drawing Radar you can see how many reports of tick bites have been made in the Netherlands. This also applies to the area around Zoetermeer! The map shows live how many reports of tick bites have been made in Zoetermeer. So it’s useful to check it out now and then before you go to Bentwoud or Westerpark. The map may look different tomorrow.
About Tick Radar
Tick Radar was compiled by scientists who research tick bites. Tick Radar is an initiative of, among others, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Wageningen University & Research and Radboud University.
Each year, approximately 1.5 million people in the Netherlands are bitten by a tick, according to a survey among general practitioners. Nevertheless, the number of tick bites may be higher in practice, thinks Bea Werner Tick Bite Diseases Foundation. She says: “Not everyone goes to the doctor because of a tick bite. Also, not everyone reports a bite to the Tick Radar. Not everyone knows it and if people do know it, they sometimes forget it. It is therefore impossible to say whether the number of tick bites this year is the same as in previous years.”
Lyme disease
Have you been bitten yourself? Then Bea recommends removing the tick as soon as possible using a drawing pen or going to the doctor. And after that? “Report on the Tick Radar!” she continues. If you don’t remove the tick immediately, you run the risk of contracting a disease, such as Lyme disease. According to the researchers at Tekenradar, the nature and severity of the complaints in Lyme vary. For example, you can suffer from fever, headache, joint pain or even paralysis and heart complaints. Bea: “It is estimated that 27,000 people in the Netherlands contract Lyme disease every year. Most are given antibiotics, after which 1,000 to 2,500 people continue to have complaints.”
Dogs and ticks
Ticks are interested not only in humans, but also in animals. Your four-legged friend can also become infected as a result. Bea: “Dogs are even more at risk than people, because their long hair makes them the ideal environment for ticks. Dogs can get Lyme, but generally don’t get as sick as humans, they have a better immune system. Cats, on the other hand, are lucky: they don’t get sick.”