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Tick Bites

Overview

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Ticks, Opens dialog are small spiderlike animals (arachnids). They bite to fasten themselves onto the skin and feed on blood. Ticks live in the fur and feathers of many birds and animals. Tick bites occur most often during early spring to late summer and in areas where there are many wild animals and birds.

Most ticks don't carry diseases, and most tick bites don't cause serious health problems. But it's important to remove a tick as soon as you find it. Removing the tick's body helps you avoid diseases that the tick may pass on during feeding. Removing the tick's head helps prevent an infection in the skin where it bit you.

In most cases, removing the tick, washing the site of the bite, and watching for signs of illness are all that's needed.

Some people may have an allergic reaction to a tick bite. This reaction may be mild, with a few annoying symptoms. In rare cases, a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis, Opens dialog) may occur.

Many of the diseases ticks carry cause flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and muscle aches. Symptoms may start from 1 day to 3 weeks after the tick bite. Sometimes a rash or sore appears along with the flu-like symptoms. Ticks are found worldwide. They can carry many diseases, including common ones such as:

Tick paralysis is a rare problem that may occur after a tick bite. It may cause tingling and numbness in hands or feet, double vision, and trouble swallowing. In some parts of the world, tick bites may cause other tick-borne diseases, such as South African tick-bite fever, Opens dialog.

Current as of: July 31, 2024

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff

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