Ticks are some of the most dangerous bloodsuckers that prey on people during the warm season. And, unlike their "colleagues" mosquitoes, they bite unnoticed. Therefore, it is important to know how to recognize a tick bite and how to act in such a case.

OBOZREVATEL gathered all the qualified tips on this subject. Learn all the signs and symptoms.

How to identify a tick bite

The saliva of arthropod pests contains anesthetic substances, so you are unlikely to notice the moment when it pierces your skin. While the creature's mouth apparatus makes a microincision on the body and firmly attaches itself. When the tick pumps blood, it injects another substance into the blood that helps it loosen its grip, after which its body falls off under its own weight. Blood is needed by the female of these creatures to lay eggs.

The best way to spot a pest is to carefully inspect yourself after a walk in nature. Especially the skin folds and all the bending places. Also, over time, redness, a feeling of heat, and later itching may appear at the bite site.

If the tick carried a pathogen of any disease it is capable of carrying (Lyme disease, several types of fever, tularemia, etc.), the place of the bite will have its own specific appearance. For example, in case of infection with Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi a red ring-shaped spot with a dot inside will appear around the bite spot, which is also called "bull's eye".

How to help a tick bite

You need to get the harmful creature out as soon as possible, so it's best to perform a self-examination without waiting for the bite symptoms to develop. The sooner the arthropod can be pulled out, the lower the risk of infection.

The tick must be pulled out with gloves on. And the place of attachment should be treated with antiseptic.

Avoid folk methods such as pouring oil on the mite. A choking tick will only more intensely inject liquid with infectious agents into the wound.

Pull out the tick with twisting movements, gently pulling it upwards. It is important not to crush and tear the creature.

It is better to extract the tick with special devices that you can buy at the drugstore. If you have nothing of the kind at hand, you can also use ordinary tweezers or a thread, from which you make a loop and throw it on the body of the bloodsucker close to the skin. The body should be gently loosened and then twisted.

No part of the body of the tick should be left in the wound. They can provoke suppuration. Pull out the foot or head, if it does come off, you can use tweezers.

After removing the tick the wound should be treated again with antiseptic.

If after being bitten by a tick you notice redness, rash, or other skin changes on the relevant area, consult your doctor. Also, an alarming symptom is an increase in body temperature to 38-40 degrees.

Previously OBOZREVATEL told you how to protect your dog from ticks because animals are also hunted by these creatures.

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