Ticks are tiny parasites that feed on the blood of humans and animals. Adult ticks typically measure about 3 to 5 millimeters in length, based on their age, sex and species.
Because of their small size, it’s easy to be unaware when they’ve attached to you or your pet.
“Ticks aren’t just irritating. They’re disease carriers. They attach firmly and can feed for hours, which gives them plenty of time to transmit bacteria and viruses to humans,” says Dr. Denise Pate, a board-certified internal medicine physician, medical director with the Medical Offices of Manhattan in New York City and contributor to LabFinder.com.
To avoid tick-borne illnesses, be vigilant in checking for ticks and remove them promptly if found.
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Common Tick-Borne Diseases and Symptoms
Tick bites affect more than 31 million people each year in the U.S., according to a report in the journal Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases.
While not all ticks will transmit disease, some of the diseases they may spread include:
— Anaplasmosis. A bacterial infection that can cause flu-like symptoms that may become severe when untreated
— Lyme disease. Lyme disease causes flu-like symptoms, joint pain and weakness.
— Rocky Mountain spotted fever. This can cause a sudden high fever and rash and become fatal if not treated.
— Alpha-gal syndrome. This is a type of red meat allergy that occurs when a molecule called alpha-gal (found in red meat and several other mammals) enters your bloodstream after a tick bite, causing an allergic reaction when you eat red meat or other alpha-gal-containing products. The lone star tick is often responsible, but other ticks can also cause this reaction.
— Powassan virus. Powassan virus, a rare but potentially deadly disease, can cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). It is typically spread to humans through infected blacklegged (deer) ticks.
Tick bites are a common occurrence in the U.S., particularly during the summer months. They are more prevalent in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, where different tick species contribute to the transmission of diseases such as Lyme disease.
[READ Mosquitoes: Safety and Preventing Bites]
Effective Ways to Prevent Tick Bites (Repellents, Gear and Safety Tips)
Given the potential dangers of ticks, minimizing your risk of bites is crucial. To minimize your risk of tick bites, consider these precautions.
To minimize your risk of tick bites, consider these precautions.
Before going outside
— Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to provide full-body coverage. Tuck in your shirt and tuck the end of your pants into your socks.
— Choose light-colored clothing to help identify ticks more easily.
— Apply an insect repellent that is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency and contains 10% to 30% DEET or 20% picaridin.
— Treat your clothing and outdoor gear with 0.5% permethrin, an insecticide effective against both mosquitoes and ticks.
— Protect your pets with a tick-prevention treatment, even if they primarily stay indoors, as ticks can be carried inside by other animals or people. Consult your veterinarian for guidance on the best treatment option for your pet.
While you’re outside
— To minimize exposure to ticks, stay on marked walking trails, as ticks are commonly found in wooded areas, tall grass and leaf litter.
— Use a blanket for outdoor activities instead of sitting directly on the ground.
— Tie back long hair when in nature.
— Avoid touching or brushing up against plants.
— Mow your lawn regularly.
After spending time outdoors
— Take a shower as soon as you get home.
— Perform a full-body tick check on yourself or children, using a mirror if needed, and focusing on hidden areas, including around ears, underarms, inside the belly button, between toes and in hair. Ticks can be tiny (poppy seed to grain of sand size) and vary in color, such as black, dark brown, gray or red-brown.
— Check pets for ticks after they come indoors.
— Examine any outdoors gear for ticks.
— Put any outdoor clothing in the dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes before washing clothes to kill any ticks. Use hot water if you need to wash the clothing first.
[Read: How to Treat Seasonal Allergies.]
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Safely Remove a Tick
If you find a tick, it’s important to remove it. Removing a tick within 24 hours after it’s attached will lower your chance of getting a tick-borne illness.
The best way to remove a tick is with tweezers:
1. Gather your supplies
You’ll need:
— Clean, fine-tipped tweezers
— A small container with rubbing alcohol (for tick disposal)
— Rubbing alcohol or soap and water (for cleaning the bite area)
2. Pull directly away from the skin
Position the tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible to avoid squeezing the tick’s body. Pull directly away from the skin with steady, even pressure. Avoid twisting or wiggling the tick, as this may cause the head to detach and remain embedded.
3. Dispose of the tick properly
You can seal it in a plastic bag and throw it away, dunk the tick in a small cup of rubbing alcohol or flush it down the toilet.
4. Clean the area
Use soap and water or rubbing alcohol to thoroughly clean the bite area.
What not to do when removing a tick
— Don’t use burning or smothering to get rid of the tick. This can make the tick release more saliva, increasing disease risk.
— Don’t use petroleum jelly, nail polish or other substances that are said to help ticks detach from the skin. These also might just agitate the tick and cause them to release more saliva.
When to See a Doctor for a Tick Bite: Red Flags and Post-Removal Care
Seek medical treatment from your health care provider if you experience any of the following:
— Have trouble removing a tick
— Live in an area where Lyme disease is common and you’ve had a tick attached for more than 36 hours, to potentially consider the use of preventive antibiotics
— Have symptoms of tick-borne illness, such as:
— Chills
— Bullseye rash
— Fever
— Major joint pain or swelling
— Flu-like symptoms
— Swollen lymph nodes
“If you have a known tick exposure, follow up with a health care provider for any of these symptoms, as many tick-borne illnesses are treatable with antibiotics,” says Dr. Stephanie Lareau, a professor of emergency medicine and the director of the Wilderness Medicine Fellowship at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, Virginia.
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Tick Bites: Prevention, Safe Removal and Symptoms of Tick-Borne Diseases originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 04/03/26: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information
