Ticks are small, blood-sucking arthropods that can transmit various diseases to humans and animals. They are most active in spring and summer, and they live in wooded areas, fields, and tall grasses. If you spend time outdoors, you should know how to prevent tick bites and how to remove a tick safely if you find one on your skin.
Prevention
The best way to avoid tick-borne diseases is to prevent tick bites in the first place. Here are some tips to reduce your exposure to ticks:
– Wear long sleeves, pants, socks, and closed-toe shoes when you go outside. Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants to prevent ticks from crawling under your clothes.
– Choose light-colored clothing that makes it easier to spot ticks.
– Use a repellent that contains DEET or picaridin on your exposed skin and clothing. Follow the instructions on the label and reapply as needed.
– Avoid walking through tall grass, brush, and leaf litter. Stick to the center of trails and paths.
– Check yourself, your children, and your pets for ticks after being outdoors. Pay special attention to the head, neck, ears, armpits, groin, and legs.
– Shower or bathe as soon as possible after coming indoors. This can help wash off any unattached ticks and make it easier to find them.
– Put your clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks that may be hiding in them.
Removal
If you find a tick attached to your skin, don’t panic. Removing it quickly and correctly can lower your risk of infection. Follow these steps to remove a tick:
– Use fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool to grasp the tick as close to its mouthparts as possible. Don’t use blunt tweezers, your fingers, or any other methods that may squeeze the tick’s body or leave its mouthparts behind.
– Gently pull the tick straight up and away from your skin with steady pressure. Don’t twist, jerk, or crush the tick.
– Put the tick in a sealed container or a ziplock bag and label it with the date and location of the bite. You may need to identify the tick later if you develop any symptoms of infection.
– Wash your hands and the bite area with soap and water. Apply an antibiotic ointment or alcohol to disinfect the wound.
– Monitor the bite site for any signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, pain, or rash. If you develop a fever, headache, fatigue, joint pain, or flu-like symptoms within a few weeks of the bite, see a doctor as soon as possible. You may have contracted a tick-borne disease, such as Lyme disease, which requires prompt treatment with antibiotics.
If you spend time outdoors, you should know how to prevent tick bites and how to remove a tick safely if you find one on your skin.
