What is a Tick Bite

Ticks are insects that can bite. Most ticks live in shrubs and grassy areas. They climb onto people and animals that go by. Then they bite. Some ticks carry germs that can make you sick.

How can I prevent tick bites?

• Use an insect repellent that has 20% or higher of the ingredients DEET, picaridin, or IR3535. Put this insect repellent on:
  • Bare skin.
  • The tops of your boots.
  • Your pant legs.
  • The ends of your sleeves.
• If you use an insect repellent that has the ingredient permethrin, make sure to follow the instructions on the bottle. Treat the following:
  • Clothing.
  • Supplies.
  • Boots.
  • Tents.
• Wear long sleeves, long pants, and light colors.
• Tuck your pant legs into your socks.
• Stay in the middle of the trail.
• Try not to walk through long grass.
• Before going inside your house, check your clothes, hair, and skin for ticks. Make sure to check your head, neck, armpits, waist, groin, and joint areas.
• Check for ticks every day.
• When you come indoors:
  • Wash your clothes right away.
  • Shower right away.
  • Dry your clothes in a dryer on high heat for 60 minutes or more.

What is the right way to remove a tick?

Remove a tick from your skin as soon as possible.

• To remove a tick that is crawling on your skin:
  • Go outdoors and brush the tick off.
  • Use tape or a lint roller.
• To remove a tick that is biting:
  • Wash your hands.
  • If you have latex gloves, put them on.
  • Use tweezers, curved forceps, or a tick-removal tool to grasp the tick. Grasp the tick as close to your skin and as close to the tick’s head as possible.
  • Gently pull up until the tick lets go.
    • Try to keep the tick’s head attached to its body.
    • Do not twist or jerk the tick.
    • Do not squeeze or crush the tick.

Do not try to remove a tick with heat, alcohol, petroleum jelly, or fingernail polish.

How should I get rid of a tick?

Here are some ways to get rid of a tick that is alive:

• Place the tick in rubbing alcohol.
• Place the tick in a bag or container you can close tightly.
• Wrap the tick tightly in tape.
• Flush the tick down the toilet.

Contact a doctor if:

• You have symptoms of a disease, such as:
  • Pain in a muscle, joint, or bone.
  • Trouble walking or moving your legs.
  • Numbness in your legs.
  • Inability to move (paralysis).
  • A red rash that makes a circle (bull’s-eye rash).
  • Redness and swelling where the tick bit you.
  • A fever.
  • Throwing up (vomiting) over and over.
  • Diarrhea.
  • Weight loss.
  • Tender and swollen lymph glands.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Cough.
  • Belly pain (abdominal pain).
  • Headache.
  • Being more tired than normal.
  • A change in how alert (conscious) you are.
  • Confusion.

Get help right away if:

• You cannot remove a tick.
• A part of a tick breaks off and gets stuck in your skin.
• You are feeling worse.

Summary

• Ticks may carry germs that can make you sick.
• To prevent tick bites, wear long sleeves, long pants, and light colors. Use insect repellent. Follow the instructions on the bottle.
• If the tick is biting, do not try to remove it with heat, alcohol, petroleum jelly, or fingernail polish.
• Use tweezers, curved forceps, or a tick-removal tool to grasp the tick. Gently pull up until the tick lets go. Do not twist or jerk the tick. Do not squeeze or crush the tick.
• If you have symptoms, contact a doctor.