Korean Job Discussion Forums

[captain kirk]

Hi fellow posters,

I was in Goje for two months waiting out an unfinished contract year and deciding to take a long break, too. And went hiking in the forest every day. April was free of ticks. They came out in May. As you probably/maybe know ticks carry Lyme disease in America. This disease causes arthritis in its later stages (if untreated) and a kind of dementia. A large, red target like rash appears around a bite from a tick carrying Lyme disease. Quite a few varieties carry Lyme disease but only a choice few can transmit it. A kind of deer tick which is the size of a sesame seed. And a certain variety of deer tick at that.

Since Lyme disease is a serious disease and the woods are full of ticks I searched for info. The U.S. army lists Lyme disease as a possibility in Korea and recommends using DEET and doing a tick check once out of the woods (brushing yourself off with your hands, frisking yourself, like). And shaking out your clothes once home and killing them on the floor to which they've been flung. Showering and checking your body. Ticks tend to linger and stroll, looking for a good piece of real estate before they chow down. Hard ticks (hard is the most common, as opposed to soft ticks) feed for three days. They transmit disease while feeding. They actually 'send back' to you the water in your blood, and keep the condensed essence of it.

Well, it turns out there is no worry about Lyme disease/serious diseases from ticks in Korea. I went to a provincial forestry centre office and asked a professional forester about ticks and serious disease. I mentioned the threat of Lyme disease in America so he knew what I was talking about. He said that ticks are very common in Korean forests, but they only feed on blood. They don't carry dangerous disease.

Still, I'd follow the U.S. army directives and use DEET on forearms if wearing short sleeved shirt, and around the neck, ears. On one particular day of hiking about four hours in the bush I brought back with me 20 ticks which I shook off my clothes. They hang on to your pants, mostly, below the knee. And on your shoes. They climb to a high point on the tip of grasses and rest with their arms open, ready to grab. They detect with carbon dioxide detectors, heat sensors, etc. Scientists call this open-armed waiting to connect behavior 'questing'. So these ticks are on a quest, haha, waiting for YOU.

So there's the scoop on ticks. Don't worry. If you do get a tick have some tweezers, grab the body firmly, and pull it gently but steadily away from your body and its jaws will let go. Swab the bite point with alcohol. Ticks therefore = no problem. It's the three varieties of VIPER you can now concentrate on watching out for. Not only are they VIPERS, they don't like you....

[KoreanLifer]

i used to DH freeride mountain bike in Kr.in the spring the poison ivy was nasty in the Spring season. quite a few trips to the dermatologist to get rid of the red rash.it was itchy as hell also!

[ella]

Does anyone have an update about Lyme disease (or not) in Korea?