A Simple Guide On What To Do With A Tick Bite

Ticks are tiny blood sucking mites that feed off the blood of animals and humans. They can be found on trees, leaf litter, tall grasses and even in your backyard in some rare cases. Ticks can't fly or jump to attach themselves to the host's body. They wait till a suitable host walks by before they grasp the fur or skin of the host. Once the tick finds a suitable spot, it burrows into the skin without causing the host any pain and starts to feed. The average time a soft-bodied tick stays on the host's skin is a couple of hours but the hard-bodied tick can stay on the host's skin for up to 2 weeks.

Although it is very rare to contract disease from ticks, they have been known to pass on the following disease to man:

- Babesiosis
- Rocky mountain spotted fever
- Lyme disease
- Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis (HGE)
- Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis (HME)
- Colorado tick fever
- Relapsing fever
- Q fever
- Tick paralysis
- Tularemia

The type of disease contracted depends on the location, type of tick, duration of the tick's attachment to the host's skin and season of the year.

How To Get Rid Of Ticks Yourself

1. Disinfect the tick bite area with antiseptic.
2. Put on a pair of rubber gloves if possible and use a pair of tweezers or forceps to grasp the tick close to the skin of it's head. Be careful not to twist, jolt or squash the tick.
3. Pull the tick straight out and apply a consistent amount of pressure until the tick cuts loose.
4. Use a sterilized needle to remove the tick's head or any other body part that got stuck in the skin.
5. Apply some antiseptic cream onto the bite wound and area around it.
6. Clean your hands thoroughly with antiseptic soap like Dettol to kill any traces of germs on your hands and fingers.
7. If possible, store the removed tick into a container and bring it to a doctor for identification.

When To Visit A Doctor

- You fail to remove the tick or part of the tick from the skin.
- You develop a fever, rash, headache, muscle pains, joint pains or flu-like symptoms 2 to 14 days after the tick bite.
- You develop widespread rashes 2 to 14 days after the tick bite.
- You develop redness, pus, swelling or yellow drainage from the tick bite wound 1 to 2 days after the tick bite.
- You develop a red-ring or a bull's eye rash around the tick bite wound 3 to 30 days after the tick bite.
- You have complications moving your legs.
- You feel ill and want to make sure your sickness is unrelated to your tick bite.

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