Ticks can be pretty creepy, especially if you find one attached to your body and bloated with blood! But there’s no need to panic. The first step is to remove the tick – the longer it’s attached to your body, the more likely it is to transmit a disease.
Getting rid of the tick
You may have noticed that ticks stick to your skin like an unwanted stalker. This is because they connect to your skin using a straw-like structure called the hypostome that anchors them firmly in place. As soon as they start feeding, they also secrete a chemical that holds them in place; it is only once they’re full that they secrete another substance to dissolve the first.
"The best way to remove a tick is to pull it off gently, but ensure that the head is pulled off with the body and doesn't remain in the bite," advises Dr Rosie Carey, an Umhlanga-based general practitioner.
It’s important that you use a pair of tweezers that can firmly grip the tick without crushing it. Grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible and then pull upwards with steady, even traction. Be careful not to twist or jerk the tick as you remove it. If possible, wear a pair of gloves to prohibit any spread of possible infection.
While you might have heard that the best way to get rid of a tick is to set it alight or smother it with Vaseline, these are both bad ideas. Both of these approaches will cause the tick to regurgitate infected fluids into the wound.
Take note that if you fail to remove the entire tick, you must book an appointment with your doctor to remove it for you.
Tips for after the successful removal of the tick
Once you’ve removed the tick, wash your hand thoroughly with soap and water to prevent infection. "I would suggest cleaning the bite area with sterile salt water and then putting some Bactroban (mupirocin) on it," advises Dr Carey.
Before you flush the tick down the toilet, you can take a photo of it to show your doctor should any complications develop. However, Dr Carey stresses that this step is not essential as tick bites – with their characteristic black eschar (a black mark where the bite occurred) – tend to be fairly typical.
Keep an eye out for tick bite fever symptoms
In countries such as the United States, ticks can spread a variety of diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In South Africa, however, this isn’t the case. "There are two different species of tick in South Africa that cause tick bite fever, Mediterranean spotted fever and African tick bite fever, one more severe than the other," says Dr Carey. "But tick bite fever is really the only significant tick-transmitted disease one needs to worry about in humans in South Africa."
Tick bite fever symptoms usually only develop seven to 10 days after the bite. So, if in addition to the eschar, you develop a fever, a severe headache, or a spotted rash, make an appointment to see your doctor immediately. Read more about tick bite fever.
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