If you plan to do any outdoor activities in Croatia this spring, you should be aware of one thing: ticks in Croatia have "woken up" much earlier in the year than it's customary, so even these days, in mid-March, you should be prepared to fight them while outdoors.

The winter was extremely mild (some would say that the winter in Croatia this year was, in fact, non-existent, we just went from prolonged autumn to early spring), and those warm temperatures have increased the activities of the nasty ticks out there. That led to the first case of Lyme disease to be recorded in Croatia already, happening in Primorsko-goranska county. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection, transmitted by the bite of an infected tick, and can usually be treated by a course of antibiotics. It is, however, important to recognize the symptoms of the disease as soon as possible, so it's important to be aware of the unusual activity of ticks in Croatia this early in the season.

Lyme disease is not the only tick-borne disease you should be wary of, there are several other diseases transmitted to humans by ticks, but also every pet (especially dog) owner knows that their dogs should also be protected from ticks, as they can also get Lyme disease. So, if you plan to spend time outdoors in Croatia this spring, you should wear appropriate clothing (long sleeves and pant legs), shows that don't leave a lot of skin unprotected, and of course, repellents for your pets. As soon as possible, as you're out of the literal and metaphorical woods, get out of the clothes you wore while outdoors, take a shower and do a check to see if any ticks managed to latch on. Washing the clothes ASAP will take care of any ticks that might be hidden somewhere in there, if possible. If you find a tick somewhere on you, remove it with tweezers and put some antiseptic on the bite. Make sure you keep an eye on the bite location for a few days and see a doctor if anything unusual appears on the site.