How to remove a tick

Source: CDC

On 08.07.2012 I got bitten by a tick. I have identified the tick as being an Ixodos ricinus nymph female. Due to the fact that the tick had not been attached to my body more than 24 hours the doctor decided to keep me under observation without prescribing me any antibiotics.

Ticks are the leading carriers of diseases to humans in the United States and more recently in Europe. The most common disease ticks are responsible for spreading is Lyme disease (borreliosis) aka the disease with 100 faces  (due to how differently the disease affects each person).

Now if  you identified a tick attached to your body here is what you should do:

1. Stay calm . 
Stressing about it won't help you remove it. Not all ticks bear diseases. Maybe you ended up being bitten my a healthy one . At this stage it's important not to panic and think positive.

2. Remove the tick . 
The center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following:

• Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.
• Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
• After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.

3. See a doctor. 
Just to be sure you are OK after you have removed the tick  see a doctor and follow his/her advice. I would place seeing a doctor as the second stage but going to the ER unit and waiting in line would only increase the chances of infection (the longer the tick stays attached to your body the more the risk of being infested)

4. Write down the date you have been bitten. 
In 80% of the cases if the tick bears the Lyme disease and you don't get any symptoms (commonly  a circular, outwardly expanding rash called erythema chronicum migrans) in 3 to 30 days after you have been bitten then you are off the hook, for now.

I wish you a tick free day!!!