Health and Wellness Tips
Lyme Disease (Avoidance and Removal of Ticks)
Lyme disease is a serious illness that can be passed on to you from
the bite of an infected deer tick.
To Minimize Your Exposure to Ticks
- Walk in the middle of trails,
away from tall grass and bushes
- Were a long-sleeved shirt
- Wear white or light-colored clothing to make it easier to see ticks
- Wear a hat
- Spray tick repellent on clothes and shoes before entering woods
- Wear long pants tucked into high socks
- Wear shoes, no bare feet or sandals
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How to Remove an Imbedded Tick
It is very important to remove an imbedded tick as soon as it is found. This
will reduce the chance of infection in case the deer tick is infected with
the bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi.
Do
- Use blunt tweezers or rounded forceps
- Carefully grasp the tick as close as possible to its barbed mouth parts
which are imbedded in the skin
- Pull upward firmly and steadily until the tick lets go (be patient
– proper tick removal will take time)
- If tweezers are unavailable,
wear rubber gloves or place towel or cloth between your fingers and the
tick, than pull upward firmly and steadily until tick lets go
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Don't
- Remove the tick with bare hands
- Jerk, squeeze or twist the tick’s body*
- Place petroleum jelly; butter; alcohol, kerosene or gasoline on the tick*
- Coat the tick with nail polish*
- Burn the tick with an extinguished cigarette butt*
- Place a hot match near the tick*
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These methods of removal cause the tick to become nervous and excited
and the tick may inject disease carrying fluid into the person’s body. |
After Removing the Tick
- Place tick in a covered jar of alcohol and label with the date, the body
location of the bite, and where you think you acquired the tick
- Cleanse area of the skin where the tick was attached. Use alcohol or an
iodine preparation, such as betadine, unless allergic to such solutions
- Wash hands thoroughly
- Contact a physician if the tick’s mouth parts remain in the skin
- Check the bite area on a regular basis for approximately one month
- Contact a physician if any of the following symptoms develop:
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| Red rash at bite site |
Pain or stiffness in muscles or joints |
Nausea/vomiting |
| Slight Fever |
Drooping of an eyelid or corner of mouth |
Fatigue |
| Headache |
Irregular or rapid heartbeat |
Joint swelling |
| Jaw discomfort |
Inflammation of the eyes |
Swollen glands |
| Neck stiffness |
Skin rashes other than at bite site |
Sore throat |
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