Tick Bites: Prevention & Treatment

A tick is a small, spider-like creature that feeds on warm-blooded animals, including humans. It attaches itself to the skin and sucks blood, causing the tick to swell and turn bluish-gray in color. Ticks usually live on tall grass and in wooded areas, but also can be brought into your home by your pets.

Avoiding Tick Bites
While it’s a good idea to take precautions year-round, you should be extra cautious during warmer months (April through September) when ticks are most active.

To avoid direct contact with ticks:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and tuck your pants into your socks;
• Walk in the center of trails, rather than through the brush; and
• Avoid sitting on the ground and having direct contact with plants and vegetation.

After you leave a tick-infested area, remove and inspect your clothing. Conduct a full-body inspection of yourself using a full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Pay extra attention under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and in your hair. You should also check your children and pets for ticks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, showering within two hours of coming indoors also has been shown to reduce your risk of being bitten by a tick.

Treating Tick Bites
If you find a tick attached to your skin, do not panic. However, prompt and proper tick removal is essential to prevent possible disease transmission:

• Grab the tick with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and gently pull it upward. Be extra careful and try not to squeeze the tick.
• Once the tick is removed, keep it in a closed container for future identification.
• Disinfect the site of the bite and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

Once the tick is removed, watch the bite area for a few days. Tick bites will commonly cause a reaction with a small area of redness and itching at the site of the bite. If the area of redness grows larger, have it checked by your doctor.

Although rare, ticks also may transmit serious illness through their bites. These diseases include Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Babesiosis, and Ehrlichiosis. Symptoms of serious tick-borne illnesses include skin rashes, fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, and muscle weakness or paralysis.

If you experience any of the symptoms above, see a doctor immediately and be sure to take the saved tick with you for identification.