The unofficial start of summer is finally there. You have just returned from a day trip on hiking trails, or from the park with your children or your pets.
Before sitting inside to relax, you check the ticks. You see one, and this feeling of shipwreck settles. Do not wait to see a health care provider – you should delete it as soon as possible.
There are roughly half a million new cases of Lyme disease Each year in the United States, different types of ticks live in different parts of the country and transmit different diseases, not just Lyme disease.
The United States Centers for the Control and Prevention of Diseases advise tick checks In and around the scalp, ears, arms, navel, waist, knees and between legs.
Here is what you should and should not do according to CDC advice and other specialists.
How to properly delete a tick?
Enter the check as close to the skin as possible and avoid tightening the body of the tick.
Using regular and uniform pressure, keep the tick away from the skin. Be careful not to twist or jerk off the check mark when you try to remove it. This can cause the head of the tick head and stay in the skin, which can increase the risk of a minor skin infection.
If you can’t easily remove your head with tweezers, don’t worry. Your body will naturally push the rest of the tick while your skin heals over time. “Integrated oral pieces do not transmit Lyme disease,” said Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center.
After removing the tick, wash the bite site and your hands with soap and water. Apply alcohol to friction or antiseptic to the bite area.
Before eliminating the tick, take a photo of it. This can help your health care provider determine what type it is and if there is a risk of transmitted disease.
Source: CDC
I deleted a tick. Now what?
Throw the check mark by placing it in a sealed container, by punching it closely in adhesive tape, throwing it in the toilet or putting it in alcohol.
If you have found a tick, there may be others. Make an in-depth check of the ticks and remove them quickly.
If you develop a rash, take a photo every day to monitor your size and appearance.
When should I call a health care provider?
If a suspicious skin rash or pseudo-scrippal symptoms develop in several weeks after removing a tick, it is time to see a health care provider. Tell them about the recent tick stitching, when it occurred and the place where it probably occurred.
Although an eruption of bull eyes is a sign of Lyme disease, it is not the most common way that a rash of Lyme disease arises.
“The fever, the ailments and the steep and serious fatigue can be the main symptoms of the acute Lyme”, according to the Johns Hopkins research center.
Are antibiotics necessary after a tick bite?
Overall, the CDC does not recommend taking antibiotics after a tick bite in order to prevent diseases transmitted by ticks.
“However, in certain circumstances, a single dose of doxycycline after a tick bite in an area where Lyme disease is common can reduce the risk of Lyme disease,” said the CDC website. He advises that people speak to their health care provider to know if antibiotics are suitable for them.
I found a tick that cracked me up on me, but she did not attach herself to my skin. Will I fall sick?
No. A tick must bite the skin and feed on the blood of a person or an animal to spread possible diseases. If you have found a crawling about you, another person or a pet, make a check check for all the others who could have been attached. If found, delete quickly.
How long does it take for an attached tick to spread the disease?
It depends on the type of tick and the disease. THE CDC says“Your risk of Lyme disease is very low if a tick has been attached for less than 24 hours.”
The Federal Health Agency provides a guide for different types of ticks, the areas in which they are and the types of diseases they can transmit to the United States You can read it here.
Should I have ticks tested in a laboratory?
While some companies offer tick tests for certain diseases, the CDC greatly discourages the use of test results to determine whether to use antibiotics after a tick sting, mainly because they may not be reliable.
If a positive tick tests for a disease or a germ, this does not necessarily mean that a person or a pet has been infected with them.
Negative results can also lead to false insurance. You may have been bitten by a different tick that has been infected.
The main thing is that if you have been infected, you will probably develop symptoms before the test results are ready. In this case, you must seek appropriate health care and not wait for test results before being treated.
Early diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease in humans can help prevent more serious disease. “People treated with appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease generally recover quickly and completely,” said CDC website. “The most commonly used antibiotics to treat Lyme disease include doxycycline, amoxicillin or cefuroxime axil.”
Do and protect against ticks
✅ Be aware of the environments subject to ticks, such as grassy, brushes or wooded areas – or even on animals.
✅ Use this practical search tool From the US Environmental Protection Agency to find the best tick repellent for you.
✅ Ticks can travel On clothes, outdoor equipment and pets and later attach to a person. Carefully check the pets, the coats and all the bags, in addition to the skin controls.
❌ You should not use oil jelly, an enlightened match, a nail polish or other substances to try to get the tick to detach from the skin. The checkout could wizard and force any infected liquid in the skin.
❌ Do not crush a tick after having removed it. This could potentially expose you to harmful things like bacteria that cause Lyme disease.
❌ Avoid touching a tick with bare hands.
What about the threat of pet ticks?
If you spot a tick on your pet, remove it quickly as you would on a human. And just like humans, pets can also obtain diseases transmitted by ticks.
There is however a Lyme disease vaccine For dogs. Consult your veterinarian, who will probably be a judge informed of the threat of Lyme disease in your region and if the vaccine is good for your dog.
However, there is no Lyme disease vaccine that has been developed for cats. “Fortunately, cats are very resistant to bacteria causing Lyme disease and rarely show signs of the disease”, according to the Cornell Feline Health Center.
