A health professional is encouraging us to be mindful that it is tick season.

Sarah Lesperance is Medical Officer of Health with Manitoba Health. She says normally tick season starts once the snow has melted in spring, and lasts almost right up until the first snowfall late in the year. Though early spring and summer is when most of the tick activity happens in this province.

When it comes to ticks, Lesperance says there are generally two types in Manitoba. There is the American dog tick, commonly known as the wood tick, which can grow up to a centimetre in size and has the classic white markings on its back.

But, it is the blacklegged tick that is capable of transmitting diseases such as Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis and Lyme disease. These ticks are smaller, about three to five millimetres in length and are dark brown or bright red in colour.

"Those are the ticks that we're worried about," she says. "And so that's one of the first things is just to identify which tick are we worried about."

In an effort to limit exposure to these potentially infected blacklegged ticks, Lesperance suggests applying a tick repellent, inspecting yourself after spending time outside, removing ticks as quickly as possible, staying in the centre of walking trails, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants and keeping shrubs and grass cut short around homes.

If you happen to get a tick bite, Lesperance says do not panic. She notes it takes a tick some time before fully attaching to our skin.

"Ticks have to be attached for over twenty-four hours before there is a risk of them transmitting some of the potential infections to a human," she notes. "And the other thing is that not all of the blacklegged ticks will carry infection."

If a tick attaches to your skin, Lesperance says it is important to remove it with tweezers and to be really gentle when pulling it off. She notes they do not burrow under the skin and so the only thing that will be attached to your skin is a small piece of the tick's mouth. The idea is to gently pull upwards with steady pressure. She says you do not want to twist or turn it.

After the tick has been removed, if you notice a small piece of mouth still attached, Lesperance says you should cleanse the area with soap and water. If the piece still remains it will eventually work itself out. If you have any concerns, she suggests contacting your physician. It is suggested you then mark the location and date of the bite for future reference. If a rash or other symptoms develop, it is advised to contact your doctor promptly.

The province is inviting Manitobans to submit an image of the tick for identification using the eTick website.

Meanwhile, the province has a website that shows where ticks are most active in Manitoba. According to the province, blacklegged ticks survive best in locations that provide them with moist, shaded habitat. Wooded or forested areas are very suitable because the trees provide shade and leaf litter for ground cover to protect active ticks.