Keep a Lookout for Symptoms from Tick Bite This Summer

Have you checked yourself or your child for tick bites lately?

Some people are unaware of a tick bite at first, so be sure to check yourself and your children often, especially during the summer when tick populations are at their highest. Ticks are especially attracted to warm, moist areas of the skin, such as armpits, groin or hair. Once they bite you, a tick may stick around, drawing your blood for up to 10 days. The sooner you spot and remove a tick, the better.

Odds of Catching Lyme Disease from a Tick Bite

The risk of contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite depends on the tick species, where the tick came from and how long it was biting you. That’s why the sooner you can remove the entire tick, the lower your chances of contracting a tick-borne disease.

Geography also plays a major role. In our region of the upper Midwest, up to 50% of black-legged ticks carry Lyme disease. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that a tick must typically be attached for 36 to 48 hours before the Lyme disease bacterium is transmitted.

If you spot an attached tick on yourself or your child, you can visit your doctor or Firelands Health Urgent Care, where a provider can evaluate the bite and prescribe preventative antibiotics if necessary. You can even opt to save the tick and have it tested for Lyme disease.

General symptoms from tick bites

Most of the time, tick bites are harmless and result in localized, minor reactions. Keep an eye out for:

• Pain or swelling on the bite site
• Burning sensation on the bite site
• Blisters

Symptoms of Tick-Borne Diseases (Like Lyme Disease)

Whether or not you choose to have a tick removed and tested, you should monitor your health closely for the next few weeks. Watch for these warning signs:

• Red spot or rash near the bite site
• Full body rash
• Neck stiffness
• Headache
• Nausea
• Weakness
• Muscle or joint pain or achiness
• Fever
• Chills
• Swollen lymph nodes

How to remove a tick from the skin

If you find a tick attached to your skin, it is crucial to remove it correctly:

1. Grasp the tick: Use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers to shield your fingers and clench the tick as close to your skin's surface as possible.

2. Pull straight up: Use gentle, steady pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tweezers, as this can cause the tick's mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin.

3. Clean the area: After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite site and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.

If you have trouble removing the tick, or if you develop a rash, fever, or flu-like symptoms in the days following a bite, schedule an appointment with your doctor or visit Firelands Urgent Care.

How to keep ticks away

Prevention is always the best medicine. Ticks do not jump or fly; instead, they climb up vegetation and wait for a person or animal to brush past them. Bites actually happen right in people's backyards, not just deep in the woods. Protect yourself and your yard with these steps:

When walking through high grass or wooded areas:

• Use protection: Apply an EPA-approved insect repellent containing DEET or picaridin.

• Dress defensively: Wear long sleeves and pants, and tuck your pants into your socks when walking through high grass or wooded areas.

Protect your home:

• Protect your pets: Use consistent flea and tick prevention on your pets to protect them and keep them from carrying ticks into your home.

• Keep lawn mowed: Keep your grass cut short. Ticks hate direct sunlight and dry air, so a well-manicured lawn makes it much harder for them to survive.

• Clear the clutter: Promptly remove leaf piles, brush, and accumulated yard debris.

• Keep play areas in the sun: Position swing sets, patios, and outdoor seating areas away from the yard edges and out in sunny spots where the grass stays dry.

Check yourself

After spending time outdoors, check your entire body for ticks. They commonly attach behind the knees, under the arms, the scalp, the navel, the groin, the buttocks and the back.

Show within two hours of coming inside. This can easily wash off any unattached crawling ticks and is a good time to do a full-body check for ticks.

Try not to panic if you find a tick. While it’s true that Lyme disease has been reported across the country and is prominent in our area, not all ticks carry diseases. Just take the right precautions, check yourself after spending time outdoors, and know that Firelands Health is here if you need us.