Glue or nail polish on ticks is taboo

Do not treat ticks with glue or nail polish

08/19/2014

Ticks are dangerous disease carriers. If a tick bite occurs, sufferers should never resort to glue or nail polish to kill or remove the animals. To minimize the risk of infection, ticks should be removed with tweezers or tick card.

Dangerous disease transmitters
Ticks can transmit dangerous diseases such as Lyme disease or tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). If it comes to a tick bite, sufferers should never dribble an animal stuck in the skin with glue or nail polish. Because such substances do not stun the ticks, but can cause the arachnid to vomit and thereby give off more pathogens. This also happens when sufferers exert pressure when removing the tick. The Landesapothekerkammer Brandenburg points this out, according to a report by the dpa news agency.

Remove ticks with tweezers or tick card
It is recommended to remove the animal as quickly as possible with tweezers or tick card. Twisting or bruising of the tick should be avoided as far as possible otherwise the head of the tick may get stuck in the wound and so many potentially dangerous pathogens can get into the wound. It is also advisable to thoroughly disinfect and observe the wound in order to detect possible inflammations or diseases at an early stage. So, in case of abnormalities, such as redness around the bite site, a doctor should be consulted.

Ideally, avoid tick bites
After a tick bite, flu-like symptoms such as headache, fever, and body aches should not be dismissed lightly, as they may also indicate Lyme disease or possibly TBE. Ideally, tick bites should be avoided. This can be done for example by long, light clothing and sturdy shoes. In addition, mosquito repellents that explicitly fend off ticks can also be useful. But despite such preventive measures, one should after an outdoor stay to search your body for possible tick bites, as experts recommend again. (Ad)