How to Properly Remove a Tick
Do you remember being told to burn a tick or cover it with nail
polish, lighter fluid or petroleum jelly to remove it?
Well, the old methods often cause the tick to vomit the
contents of its gut into the bite.
According to research, all of the improper tick removal can increase
your chance of contracting Lyme disease.
• Researchers have discovered that the spirochete that
causes Lyme disease is actually found in a tick’s gut, not its mouth.
• Removing the tick’s mouth isn’t really as important as we
were all taught years ago.
It’s much more important to make sure the tick doesn’t
“throw-up” the contents of its gut when removing it.
• As a tick feeds, it regurgitates germs from its gut into
the bite site, and each “burp” increases the likelihood of Lyme disease
transmission.
• It’s still important to remove ticks promptly, though,
because many ticks have Lyme spirochetes in their saliva along with the
bacteria for other tick-borne diseases and the more bacteria injected when a
tick bites, the higher the chance you will be infected.
• Nymphs (young ticks) actually cause most cases of Lyme
disease. It’s difficult to
remove a nymph without squeezing the nymph’s abdomen with
tweezers, so the tick
removal tool is recommended
• If ticks are found and removed right away, they may not
have time to give you Lyme disease.
It often takes several hours for a tick to give you the germs. If no
tools are available, rather than delay use a cotton thread. Tie a single loop of
cotton around the tick’s mouth parts, as close to the skin as possible, then
pull upwards and outwards without twisting.
DO start by cleansing the tweezers/tool with antiseptic.
After tick removal, cleanse the bite site and the tool with antiseptic.
DO wash hands thoroughly afterwards.
DO save the tick in a container in case a doctor asks for
evidence that you have been bitten (label it with date and location). Public
Health England is also currently running a scheme to investigate ticks – see
below.
DO NOT squeeze the body of the tick, as this may cause the
head and body to separate, leaving the head embedded in your skin.
DO NOT use your fingernails to remove a tick. Infection can
enter via any breaks in your skin, e.g. close to the fingernail.
DO NOT crush the tick’s body, as this may cause it to
regurgitate its infected stomach contents into the bite wound.
DO NOT try to burn the tick off, apply petroleum jelly, PEPPERMINT OIL,
nail polish or any other chemical. Any of these methods can cause discomfort to
the tick, resulting in regurgitation, or saliva release.
DO NOT squeeze the body of the tick, as this may cause the
head and body to separate, leaving the head embedded in your skin.
DO NOT use your fingernails to remove a tick. Infection can
enter via any breaks in your skin, e.g. close to the fingernail.
DO NOT crush the tick’s body, as this may cause it to
regurgitate its infected stomach contents into the bite wound. See this graphic
animation of what can happen, courtesy of the Lyme Borreliosis Foundation,
Hungary.
DO NOT try to burn the tick off,
apply petroleum jelly, PEPPERMINT OIL, nail polish or any other chemical. Any
of these methods can cause discomfort to the tick, resulting in regurgitation, or
saliva release.
DO USE:
Fine-pointed tweezers.
This works for adult ticks, if you grasp the tick at the mouth, where
the tick is attached to your skin; it’s not safe for the tiny young ticks,
because the gut might get squeezed and squirt germs into you.
A credit card or something else you can slide under the
tick. Slide something under the tick and
press upward at the mouth until the tick pulls itself out.
A tick remover that slides under the tick sells a tool that
slides under the tick sells for less than $5.
After removing a tick, disinfect the bite site, removal
tool, and your hands.
Tick Remover
How to Use Tick Remover
Slide something under the tick, like a tick removal tool or
credit card (which doesn’t always work).
The tips of the tick remover should be pointed and a slight
upward angle, forcing the tick’s head into the narrowest part of the “V.”
Grasp the tick as close to the mouth as possible (where its
attached) and pull straight out SLOWLY.
Do NOT turn or twist as you pull
Disinfect the bite site and tool and wash your hands with
antibacterial soap.
Mouth parts left in the skin can be removed with a sterile
needle or by a doctor. Like a splinter,
they will work themselves out over a few days or weeks, but may cause itching.
No comments:
Post a Comment