I've lived in the woods most of my life. I couldn't even begin to count how many ticks, leeches, and other critters I've pulled off my body in the last 60-some years. I've encountered a lot of supposedly dangerous critters in my life -- the most dangerous being drug dealing neighbors.
If we all seriously worried about things like Lyme Disease, Dengue Fever, West Nile Virus, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, etc., we'd be buying Zoloft in 55-gallon barrels.
We should all be careful, but we need not be xenophobic.
Just go fishing. If you find a critter on your body, try it for bait!
