It’s Tick Time—Protect Yourself from Tickborne Illnesses.

Stay aware during tick season.

As the weather warms up and we are spending more time outdoors, it is important to be aware of and diligent about ticks and tick bites.

If you find a tick attached to your skin, remove it as soon as possible. Don’t wait to go to a health care provider to remove it as this delay could increase your risk of getting a tickborne disease.

How to remove a tick:

• Using clean, fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible to avoid squeezing the tick’s body.
• Pull tick away from the skin with steady, even pressure. Do not crush the tick.
• Dispose of the live tick—place it in a sealed container, wrap it tightly in tape, flush it down the toilet; or put it in alcohol.
• Do not use petroleum jelly, heat, nail polish, or other substances to try to make the tick detach from the skin. This may agitate the tick and force infected fluid from the tick into the skin.

After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water, rubbing alcohol, or hand sanitizer. Complete a thorough, full-body check for other ticks.

Monitor for symptoms

It is important to monitor for possible symptoms of tickborne illness including:

• Flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, muscle/joint pain, fatigue, and weakness.
• Rash, redness, swelling, drainage or increased pain around the tick bite site.

If you have any symptoms, contact your Martin’s Point Health Care Center. For more information on tick bites visit our website.