Tick Bite- By Belle Pierdon

Tick Bites:

These blood-suckers are out in droves in the Midwest this year.  This is some information that you should find helpful…

The blood-sucking little bugs we call ticks live in tall grasses and trees.  They can drop onto you from foliage or latch onto you or your clothes as you pass by.  Although most tick bites cause no harm, these insects carry many germs and can pass on many kinds of infections. 

You’ll first notice redness, pain, and swelling in the area of the tick bite.  You may also develop blisters, a rash and an itch.  The bite may cause fatigue, walking difficulties, headache, fever, chills, muscle weakness, and loss of appetite; all signs of a serious tick-borne disease.

To prevent a tick-borne infection, you must get the tick off of you as soon as possible.  To remove the tick:

- First, disinfect the tick bite site with rubbing alcohol.

- Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.  Pull it straight out and up with tweezers or with fingertips protected by a tissue or cloth. 

- Pull gently until the tick lets go.  Do not twist the tick or jerk suddenly; this may leave the tick’s head or mouth parts buried in the skin.

- Do not crush the tick or touch it with your bare hands. 

- Applying a “hot match, petroleum jelly, or fingernail polish”  to the tick is NOT helpful and may be dangerous.

- After the tick is removed, wash the bite and your hands with soap and water.