Norway has seen a record number of Lyme borreliosis cases in 2024 despite there still being several months of the tick season left to go this year.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has reported 175 cases – 16 more than last year.

Untreated Lyme disease can result in a number of nasty symptoms, such as arthritis, severe headaches, facial palsy, and mental fogginess.

Lyme disease and ticks

Lyme disease is an illness transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks.

Ticks are found pretty much all over Norway from the south-east and along coastal areas all the way up to Bodø in the north. They are found in forests, meadows, and long grass and are active once the temperature is above 5C.

Typically, the season lasts from April to November across much of Norway. There are two main tick-borne diseases, Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE).

READ MORE: 

• Everything you need to know about ticks in Norway 
• Do I need to be vaccinated against the danger of ticks in Norway?

How to spot Lyme disease

Lyme disease begins with a tick bite. After spending time in an area where there could be ticks, then it is good to check yourself all over, or have someone else check you for ticks. It’s also a good idea to check your clothes for ticks.

If you have been bitten by a tick, the first symptom will be a bull’s eye rash. This will have the tick bite in the location you were bitten and then a rash around the outside of the bite. This rash will be warm to the touch.

This is the most common sign that you have been bitten by a tick, affecting around eight out of ten people.

Other early symptoms include chills, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, sore throat, vision changes, fatigue, muscle aches and headaches,

How to minimise the risk of ticks

There are a number of things you can do to prevent tick bites. The first thing you can do is to wear long-sleeved tops and trousers when you are going to be in areas with lots of bushes and long grass. This will mean there is less exposed skin for ticks to latch onto.

Ticks also like to latch onto thin-skinned places such as knees, groin, armpits and behind the ears, although they can be found elsewhere on the body.

Tucking your trousers into your socks will also help stop ticks from getting in between any gaps in clothing.

If you do have any exposed skin, you should consider using insect repellent. You can also spray socks and trouser legs with permethrin-containing insecticide.

Staying on clear well travelled paths when hiking and camping will also help to reduce the risk of a tick latching onto you, as they much prefer longer grass and bushes.

If picking berries or taking a break, then you should avoid sitting or kneeling directly on the ground. Those with long hair should wear it tied back.

Dog owners should also regularly check their pets for ticks, as they can latch onto dogs that like to head off trails.

What to do if you think you have been bitten by a tick

If the tick is visible, it is important to remove it as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of disease transmission. You can use tweezers or special tick removers to get rid of the tick. You should also grasp as close as possible to the skin to remove the tick.

Once the tick is removed, you will need to apply an antiseptic ointment to the skin. If you develop a red rash that expands to a diameter of more than 5 centimetres, then you should contact a doctor. The rash normally appears 3-30 days after a bite.

If you have been bitten by a tick and the doctor thinks it could be Lyme disease, then they will prescribe antibiotics to treat the early stages.