Ticks are best removed with tweezers

Ticks are best removed with tweezers

23/03/2011

With the warmer temperatures, the ticks are also active again. After an outdoor stay, the German Red Cross therefore recommends searching your body for possible tick bites.

Anyone who notices a tick bite should carefully remove the blood-sucking parasite with tweezers, said Christiane Haas from the German Red Cross (DRK) in Berlin. 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 / or many potentially dangerous pathogens may get into the wound. Among the particularly threatening diseases transmitted by ticks for humans include, for example, the Lyme disease and the tick-borne encephalitis (form of meningitis).

Remove the tick with tweezers, disinfect the wound
Staying outdoors, especially in the bushes, foliage or tall grass, increases the risk of tick bites with the warmer seasons. Therefore, at home, the body should be thoroughly searched for ticks. Often, the little bloodsuckers still cling to the skin, leaving the ticks „in this case (...) with tweezers or ticks“ said the expert of the DRC, Christiane Haas. Ideally, it is best to have a second person remove the tick, as these are „often a calmer hand“ as those affected. In addition, many people are inhibited, „to work with tweezers on their own“, stressed Christiane Haas. In order to avoid an inflammation, according to the expert, it is particularly important that the tick is completely removed and that the tick bite wound is thoroughly disinfected afterwards.

Tick ​​protection through long clothes
Even tick bites, where the tick has already fallen off, should be disinfected, according to Christiane Haas. In general, the bite site is usually recognized by a slight redness. The German Red Cross expert also explained where the ticks are most likely to attach to the body: „Ticks love skin folds like the popliteal fossa or armpit.“ However, ticks suck „basically everywhere“, added Christiane Haas. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, you should take care to leave as few skin areas as possible uncovered. Long pants, long sleeves, sturdy footwear and tight cuffs are, according to Haas, the best protection against a tick bite here. However, insect repellent sprays can also provide some protection from the tiny bloodsuckers. But the effect is rather short and not so pronounced, said the German Red Cross expert.

Health complaints after a tick bite
Anyone who has suffered a tick bite, should keep the wound even after removing the bloodsucker, as inflammation or Lyme disease can usually be detected early. In the case of conspicuous redness around the bite site, it is urgently recommended to go to the doctor. Also flu-like symptoms after a tick bite, such as headache and body aches or fever, should not be dismissed lightly. These may also indicate borreliosis or, if appropriate, an early-summer meningoencephalitis (TBE). Success no appropriate medical treatment threatens serious health consequences such as paralyzes, breathing problems, impaired consciousness, speech and balance disorders up to coma or death. (Fp)

Also read:
TBE and Lyme disease by tick bites
Prevention: Do not panic with ticks
Health: No vaccination against ticks