When I was in kindergarten, I found a tick on my neck. After showing my teacher, who turned a lovely shade of kelly green, I was then escorted to the nurse’s office. Fran, the nurse, picked the tick out of my neck with tweezers while I chattered happily about my weekend and my new tiger fish. As I jabbered away, I was blissfully unaware that the parasite Fran was removing from my neck could carry Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease and a host of other diseases.
Eighteen years later I am much wiser, thanks to the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) webpage on ticks, their habits and their biological baggage. According to the CDC, ticks are relatives of spiders, and often living in wooded areas, tall grass and brushy fields.
Ticks are most active between the months of April and September, though the word “active” is a generous qualifier, as ticks are pretty lazy parasites. They don’t jump, and they don’t fly. They hang out with their front legs extended on blades of grass or bushes and wait for a host to come along. Once an unsuspecting person or animal brushes by, the tick quickly crawls on and starts feeding. As the tick is enjoying his meal, he may also be passing along pathogens that cause disease.
To avoid tick bites, the CDC recommends taking the following precautions:
- Avoid direct contact with ticks
- Repel ticks with DEET or Permethrin
- Find and remove ticks from your body.
If you do find one of the little guys feeding on you, don’t panic. All you need is a set of fine-tipped tweezers to get rid of the freeloader. The CDC recommends the following procedure:
1. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
2. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with the tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
3. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
The CDC also poo poos what it deems as “folklore remedies” such as painting the tick with petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick let go. “Your goal,” the CDC reminds us, “is to remove the tick as quickly as possible.”
After the tick is removed, you may develop symptoms of a tickborne illness. These symptoms include fever, chills, aches, pains and rash. If you exhibit any of these symptoms, go to your physician. He or she will treat you based on your symptoms, the geographic region in which you were bitten, and diagnostic tests.
For more information about ticks and the diseases they can carry, visit the Centers for Disease Control’s website.
To locate a physician or urgent care near you, download the free app iTriage, or visit www.iTriageHealth.com.
