What To Do With A Tick Bite And Prevent Tick Related Diseases From Developing

Ticks are tiny blood sucking mites that feed off the blood of animals and humans. Ticks live in tall grasses, trees, leaf litter, shrubs and sometimes in your own backyard. they wait patiently in their usual hiding spots until a suitable host walks past them and they cling onto the fur or skin of the host. Once they are on the host’s skin Soft-bodied ticks usually have their fill after a few hours but their hard-bodied cousins may stay on the host’s skin for up to 2 weeks.

Ticks are tiny blood sucking mites that feed off the blood of animals and humans. Ticks live in tall grasses, trees, leaf litter, shrubs and sometimes in your own backyard. they wait patiently in their usual hiding spots until a suitable host walks past them and they cling onto the fur or skin of the host. Once they are on the host’s skin Soft-bodied ticks usually have their fill after a few hours but their hard-bodied cousins may 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 transmit 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 Remove Ticks On Your Own

1. Use some antiseptic like isopropyl alcohol to wipe the tick bite region.

2. Wear a pair of rubber gloves if possible and use a pair of forceps or tweezers to clasp the tick close to the skin of it’s head. Be careful not to twist, jolt or crush the tick.

3. Pull the tick straight out and apply a constant amount of pressure until the tick lets go.

4. Use a sterilized needle to remove the tick’s head or any other body part that was broken off in the skin.

5. Apply some antibiotic lotion onto the bite wound and area around it.

6. Wash your hands thoroughly with antiseptic soap like Dettol to kill any traces of bacteria on your hands and fingers.

7. If possible, store the abstracted 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 trouble moving your legs.

- You feel unwell and want to make sure your sickness is unrelated to your tick bite.

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Visit Natalie’s Skin Disease Archive for more tips on how to deal with a variety of skin diseases.