VIDEO What to do when you discover a tick

(Patria) - It is tick season and they are active from April to September. Ticks can be active when the outside temperature reaches 4 degrees Celsius.

Only one bite from an infected tick is needed to become seriously ill, with debilitating symptoms.

Kerim Aleander, a specialist dermatovenerologist, was a guest on Jutro za sve, where he spoke about what to do after a tick bite, who to contact, and which areas of the body to pay attention to.

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected tick, and it is an increasingly common occurrence worldwide. Winters are shorter and allow ticks to be active for longer, and changes in the deer population, which are the primary hosts for ticks, among other influences.

Ticks like yards, wooded areas, and low-growing lawns. Depending on the location, less than 1% to more than half of ticks in a given area carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

Symptoms can include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes or a rash. If left untreated, long-term symptoms can include facial paralysis, rapid heartbeat or irregular heartbeats, nerve pain, and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.