What To Do If You’re Bit By A Tick

Tickborne diseases are on the rise and prevention should be on everyone’s mind, especially during the spring, summer, and early-fall, when the eight-legged creatures are most active, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports.

Each year, more than 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported nationwide, while studies suggest that the actual number is more likely about 300,000 diagnoses. Furthermore, those at risk have no idea.

Here’s what you should do if you get bit by a tick.

1. Remove it.

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Get it off right way. That means put down the matches, nail polish, and other crazy quick fixes you might have heard about. Instead, remove the tick using a pair of fine-tipped tweezers. Grabbing as close as you can to where the tick has attached, pull upwards, using enough pressure to ensure you have removed the entire tick – including the mouth parts.

2. Examine the area.

If you find one tick, it’s likely you have more, experts say. You’ll want to do a full-body exam — paying close attention to areas that tend to be moist, including the back of your knees, scalp, armpits, between your butt cheeks and even your genitals. A full -length mirror or a handheld mirror is all you need to get the job done.

3. Stay cool.

With the rise in tickborne diseases like Lyme, you may be tempted run screaming to your doctor. But, there’s no need. About 80 percent of the time, you’ll show a clear sign if you contract the disease — a painless rash in the form of a bull’s eye, accompanied by a lingering fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle and joint pain. Per the CDC, infected people develop a rash within three to 30 days from being bitten. .

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4. Seek treatment. 

When caught in the early stages, a bite can be treated with a course of antibiotics — two- to four-week course of doxycycline.

Of course, the best way to avoid the disease, is prevention. Here’s what steps you should take to protect against ticks:

• Avoid areas with high grass.
• If hiking, stay in the center of trails.
• Use repellent. Opt for brands that contain 20 percent or more DEET.
• Treat clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and camping equipment with permethrin, an insecticide that proven to reduce tick bites by 76 percent.
• Treat dogs for ticks. Not only are your four-legged friends susceptible to tick bites and some tickborne diseases. But, they can carry ticks into your home.
• Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors to wash off any creepy crawlers before they have time to bite.

To learn more about Lyme disease, symptoms and treatments, click here.