Introduction
When you go outside, it’s important to do what you can to prevent ticks from attaching to your body and infecting you with Lyme disease or other health problems. This can be done by checking for ticks and wearing long sleeves, pants, and bug spray during your outdoor activities. If you’ve found that you are still getting attacked by ticks, it’s time to take extra precautions to prevent them from remaining on your body and delivering disease-causing microbes into your skin. Learn more about what to do if you find a tick on your body here.
How to check for a tick?
Ticks gorge themselves on their host’s blood as they feast on the blood of mammals and arachnids. The duration of this cycle is up to two days. They can also be found indoors, around pet beds or woodpiles. They are often located in thick foliage where they adhere to a host before it can discover them.
The different types of tick
There are two types of ticks that you need to watch out for in North America. The Lone Star tick can transmit the parasite known as Ehrlichia, which causes fever and muscle aches. Other species of ticks can cause Borrelia or Babesiosis, both bacterial infections with symptoms such as headaches and fevers. Ticks typically feed between 10 minutes and 2 hours and then crawl off your skin where they can attach to other mammals or pets!
How to remove a tick properly?
When you find a tick on your body, don’t panic! First off, remove the tick as soon as possible by gently grabbing it with a tissue or other small item and pulling it straight back out. Secondly, immediately clean the area to reduce the chance of infection. Lastly, check for signs of an illness such as fever, redness around the area, or soreness from where the tick was.
Conclusion
If you find a tick on your body, immediately check yourself and your kids for ticks. Take the tick off of you by grabbing it with tweezers at the point where its head is attached to your skin and gently pulling. Place the tick in a jar or plastic bag and cover it loosely with a moist tissue or cloth while waiting to be seen in an ER. Afterward, wash the area with soap and water that has been boiled if possible.
