The unofficial start to summer is finally here. You’ve just returned from a day trip to the hiking trails, or from the park with your children or pets.
Before you sit down inside to relax, you check for ticks. You see one, and that sinking feeling sets in. Don’t wait to see a health care provider — you should remove it as soon as possible.
There are about half a million new Lyme disease cases each year in the U.S. Different types of ticks live in different parts of the country and transmit different diseases, not just Lyme disease.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises tick checks in and around the scalp, ears, arms, belly button, waist, knees and between the legs.
Here’s what you should and shouldn’t do according to guidance from the CDC and other specialists.
How do I properly remove a tick?
Grasp the tick as close to the skin as you can and avoid squeezing the tick’s body.
Using steady, even pressure, pull the tick away from the skin. Be careful not to twist or jerk the tick when trying to remove it. This can cause the tick’s head to break off and remain in the skin, which can increase the risk of a minor skin infection.
If you can’t easily remove the head with tweezers, don’t worry. Your body will naturally push out the remainder of the tick as your skin heals over time. “Embedded mouthparts do not transmit Lyme disease,” according to Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center.
After removing the tick, wash the bite site and your hands with soap and water. Apply rubbing alcohol or antiseptic to the bite area.
Before disposing of the tick, take a picture of it. This can help your health care provider determine what type it is and if there’s a risk of a transmitted disease.
Source: CDC
I removed a tick. Now what?
Dispose of the tick by placing it in a sealed container, wrapping it tightly in tape, flushing it down the toilet or putting it in alcohol.
If you found one tick, there may be others. Do a thorough tick check and remove them promptly.
If you develop a rash, take a photo of it each day to monitor its size and appearance.
When do I need to call a health care provider?
If a suspicious rash or flu-like symptoms develop within several weeks of removing a tick, it’s time to see a health care provider. Tell them about the recent tick bite, when it occurred and the place it likely occurred.
While a bull’s eye rash is a telltale sign of Lyme disease, it’s not the most common way a Lyme disease rash will present itself.
“Fever, aches, and abrupt and severe fatigue can be the main symptoms of acute Lyme,” according to the Johns Hopkins research center.
Are antibiotics necessary after a tick bite?
Overall, the CDC doesn’t recommend taking antibiotics after a tick bite in order to prevent tick-borne diseases.
“However, in certain circumstances, a single dose of doxycycline after a tick bite in an area where Lyme disease is common may lower risk of Lyme disease,” the CDC website says. It advises that people talk to their health care provider about whether antibiotics are right for them.
I found a tick crawling on me, but it hasn’t attached to my skin. Will I get sick?
No. A tick has to bite the skin and feed on a person’s or pet’s blood in order to spread any possible diseases. If you have found one crawling on you, another person or a pet, do a tick check for any other ones that may have attached. If found, remove promptly.
How long does it take for an attached tick to spread disease?
It depends on the type of tick and the disease. The CDC says, “Your risk for Lyme disease is very low if a tick has been attached for fewer than 24 hours.”
The federal health agency provides a guide for different types of ticks, the areas they are in and which types of diseases they can transmit in the U.S. You can read it here.
Should I get ticks tested at a laboratory?
While some companies do offer tick testing for certain diseases, the CDC strongly discourages using the test results to determine whether to use antibiotics after a tick bite, mostly because they may not be reliable.
If a tick tests positive for a disease or germ, it doesn’t necessarily mean a person or pet has been infected by it.
Negative results can also lead to false assurance. You may have been bitten by a different tick that was infected.
The bottom line is that if you have been infected, you will likely develop symptoms before the test results are ready. In that case, you should seek the appropriate health care and shouldn’t wait for the test results before being treated.
Early diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease in humans can help prevent more severe disease. “People treated with appropriate antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease usually recover rapidly and completely,” according to the CDC website. “The antibiotics most commonly used to treat Lyme disease include doxycycline, amoxicillin, or cefuroxime axetil.”
Do’s and don’ts of protection against ticks
✅ Be aware of tick-prone environments, like grassy, brushy or wooded areas — or even on animals.
✅ Use this handy search tool from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to find the best tick repellent for you.
✅ Ticks can travel on clothing, outdoor gear and pets and later attach to a person. Carefully check pets, coats and any bags, in addition to skin checks.
❌ You shouldn’t use petroleum jelly, a lighted match, nail polish or other substances to try to get the tick to detach from the skin. The tick could get agitated and force any infected fluid into the skin.
❌ Don’t crush a tick after removing it. This could potentially expose you to harmful things like bacteria that cause Lyme disease.
❌ Avoid touching a tick with your bare hands.
What about the threat of ticks for pets?
If you spot a tick on your pet, promptly remove it just like you would on a human. And just like humans, pets can also get tick-borne diseases.
There is, however, a Lyme disease vaccine for dogs. Consult your veterinarian, who will likely be an informed judge of the threat of Lyme disease in your area and whether the vaccine is right for your dog.
However, there is no Lyme disease vaccine that has been developed for cats. “Fortunately, cats are highly resistant to the bacteria causing Lyme disease and rarely show signs of the disease,” according to the Cornell Feline Health Center.
