Thomas Aarholt and Chloe, one and a half years old, live in the centre of Oslo, the capital of Norway.
A few weeks ago, Chloe was playing by some redcurrant bushes in the backyard in the residential area of Tøyen.
"When I put her to bed that evening, I saw a lump in her hair, just above her neck," says Aarholt. "I thought it was a bump, but when I checked, I saw the tick. Based on the size, I'd estimate it had been on Chloe for three to four hours."
Aarholt and his partner were stressed, but they have previous experience with ticks.
"We have a tick tool, a pair of tweezers the size of the tick. We placed it under the insect and pulled it off," he says.
Annonse
Hitchhike on mice and birds
Harald Reiso is an adviser at the Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Tick-borne Diseases.
They operate the tick map, where people can report tick sightings. The goal is to see where in Norway there is a higher or lower chance of encountering ticks.
"We do receive reports of ticks in parks and lawns in urban areas, but not very often," Reiso tells Science Norway.
Harald Reiso is a general medicine specialist and adviser at the Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Tick-borne Diseases.(Photo: Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Tick-borne Diseases)
Though ticks are often associated with deer, Reiso explains they can arrive in cities by attaching to other animals:
"They hitchhike on birds, mice, and other small rodents. The tick stays if the conditions are right – humid and not too dry," he says.
According to Reiso, tick reports from Oslo are rare. The city also ranks low in cases of tick-borne diseases.
"This suggests either ticks are not present in Oslo, or the ones that are there don’t carry infectious agents," says Reiso.
He does not know.
"No studies have been conducted on ticks in Norwegian cities," says Reiso.
Ticks found everywhere in other countries
Such research has been conducted in other countries.
In Finland, five cities were examined for the presence of ticks. Ticks were found in all green spaces, including both nymphs and adult ticks. This means the ticks are not only being transported in by animals, but are also hatching within Finnish cities.
In Belgium, researchers asked garden owners to search for ticks. Ticks were found in 82 out of 185 gardens. There were more ticks in rural gardens, but ticks were also found in suburban and urban areas.
Thomas Aarholt kept the tick that latched onto Chloe's scalp.(Photo: Private)
Low risk of infection
A tick bite is no cause for panic, according to the Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Tick-borne Diseases. The risk of being infected with Lyme disease or other illnesses is two per cent. The chance of infection is lower if the tick is removed quickly.
