What to do when the tick bites?Summer time is sunny time. We love to spend our free hours outdoors in nature and like to show a little bit more skin. Unfortunately, blood-sucking creepy-crawlies also enjoy them. Ticks do not fall from the trees, as is often said. They stay in the grass, bushes and shrubs – just where people and animals easily roam by. Ticks are not insects, but like mites belong to the arachnids.
What diseases are transmitted by ticks?
Overview of tick-borne diseases.
How to protect myself from ticks?
There are around 900 known species of tick worldwide, but Germany is home to only around 15 species of tick, u. a. the wood tick.
Do not let it come to a tick bite in the first place. Prevention is the best remedy against ticks. Wear when you go for a walk. Walks sturdy shoes. – Put on light-colored clothing. On this one you can see the small animals better. This way you can remove the bloodsuckers before they bite you. – Wear socks over your pants when walking through tall grass or underbrush. Even long sleeves. Trouser legs are good. Thus you make it more difficult for the tick to get on the skin. – A Anti-tick spray keeps the bloodsucking arachnids away for a while. – Search your body for ticks after the hike. The parasites like to stay on warm skin areas or skin folds such as the back of the knees or armpits. Also look behind the ears. Ticks often hide in hairy places because they find a better grip there.
Most tick bites are harmless. Nevertheless, it should be noted that ticks transmit pathogens that can cause serious disease, such as TBE. If you want to be on the safe side, you can take precautions with a vaccination. In risk areas such a Vaccination recommended and also covered by health insurance. Your doctor can help you if you have any questions about it. However, there is no vaccine protection against Lyme disease and other infections that can be transmitted by ticks.
Tick bite – what to do?
Ticks can be removed with tick pliers. The eight-legged parasites scratch small wounds in the skin. Bite there with their proboscis. They are firmly attached and it is difficult to safely remove ticks.
This is the best way to pull ticks:
– It is important that you remove the bloodsucker quickly. Use tweezers or special tick forceps for this purpose. Tick cards in credit card format are convenient for traveling. – Grasp the insect as far down as possible, close to the skin. – Be careful not to squeeze the tick. The prere could result in pathogens from the tick entering the human body. – Examine the bite site. If parts of the animal have remained in the skin? Then a doctor provides professional help. – Disinfect the bite site. As after every insect bite, the skin is somewhat reddened. This should subside after a few days.
Remove ticks properly. Here's how.
Tick bite: When should I go to the doctor?
Your doctor can determine if an infection has occurred from the “tick bite”.
If the redness around the puncture site does not heal or the wound becomes infected, you should see a doctor. In addition, if the redness spreads slowly, there may be an infection. a wandering redness – a sign of borreliosis! Then it is important to go to the doctor anyway.
The first symptoms of a tick-borne infection appear about 7 days after the bite. Lyme disease begins with flu-like signs such as fatigue, night sweats, aching limbs, fever and headache.
TBE begins about 6 to 10 days after the tick bite with high fever.
More information on the individual infectious diseases transmitted by ticks: Babesiosis | Lyme disease | Ehrlichiosis | Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) | Rickettsiosis
Our pages are for your information only and are not a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by your doctor.
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Status as of: 31.03.2021
For reasons of the better readability in the text the masculine form finds itself in each case with person designations. It goes without saying, however, that the information relates to members of both sexes.
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