How to get a tick from a person at home and provide first aid after removing the parasite

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Most people know how and why ticks are dangerous. During the season of parasite activity, no one is immune from their attack. Therefore, in order not to panic at the right time and not lose time, you should figure out in advance how and how to remove a tick at home.

Content

How does a tick bite
Where to look for a tick on the body
Signs of a bite and why it is dangerous
How to properly remove a tick from a person, depending on the removal tool
How to remove a tick at home, depending on the action taken
Common Mistakes When Removing a Tick
Rules for transferring the tick to the laboratory
The head of the tick remained in the body what to do
How long does a bite last
When to go to the hospital after a tick bite

How does a tick bite

It is difficult to remove a pest if it has already stuck. This is due to the structure of his mouth and the way he bites. Having chosen a place, the bloodsucker pierces the skin with chelicerae, which perform the function of teeth.

Next, he inserts a hypostome into the puncture site - another part of the oral apparatus, resembling a harpoon. It is covered with special chitinous teeth, thanks to which the tick is tightly held on the skin.

Despite the fact that the bite of the pest is quite traumatic, it is almost impossible to feel it: its saliva contains special enzymes that have an analgesic effect.

Where to look for a tick on the body

The pest prefers to choose places with thin and delicate skin to bite. As a rule, it is found in the following areas of the body:

the area behind the ears;
neck;
stomach;

groin;
under the knee;
elbow bends.

Signs of a bite and why it is dangerous

The first signs of a bite may appear a few days or weeks after the bite - it depends on the characteristics of the person's immunity.

The following should be alertsymptoms:

increased body temperature;
headache;
photophobia;
muscle and joint pain;

digestive system disorders: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
lack of appetite;
general fatigue.

These signs may indicate infection with a tick-borne infection that causes serious diseases: encephalitis, Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and so on.

How to properly remove a tick from a person, depending on the removal tool

If a parasite is found on the body, it is recommended to contact the emergency room or clinic: specialists will correctly and quickly remove it, and also give recommendations on how to proceed. If this is not possible, you need to do it yourself. Any of the manipulations should be completed with antiseptic treatment of the bite site with any disinfectant: iodine, brilliant green, alcohol, etc.

With a special screw

A special twister for removing a bloodsucker is sold in a pharmacy, usually with a test tube for transporting the parasite. Outwardly, it looks like a nail puller, but much smaller. In the middle of the tool there is a slot where the parasite is placed. The twister should be placed as close to the skin as possible. You should make several twisting movements (2-3 is enough) and carefully remove the pest.

Tweezers for removing ticks

Also in pharmacies, special tweezers are also sold for extracting a bloodsucker. You can take the usual, suitable with thin curved edges. The procedure is the same as in the previous method.

With the help of a thread

In the absence of special tools, you can use improvised means, for example, a thread. Algorithm of actions: wrap the body of the pest with any thin and strong thread without affecting the abdomen. It should be placed as close to the skin as possible. Then tighten the thread slightly and with swinging movements begin to move the bloodsucker, slightly lifting it up.

With a syringe

From the syringe you need to cut off the nose on which the needle is put on. Next, lower the plunger to the end and attach the syringe to the skin at the site of the bite. For a better connection, you can lightly lubricate the skin with a fat body cream. The piston then rises, creating a vacuum, and the arthropod rises with it.

With tape or patch

Any material will do: scotch tape, sticky tape, band-aid. The main thing is that it adheres well to the skin. Stick a small piece of tape on the bite so as not to crush the bloodsucker. Then, with a sharp movement, the material is removed along with the insect.

With tweezers

Ordinary cosmetic tweezers can become an analogue of a twister or pharmacy tweezers. You need to act according to the same principle: capture the pest as close to the skin as possible and without sudden movements, remove it by twisting.

With a lighter

In the people, this method is called "banks". Using a lighter, heat any glass bottle and apply to the bite site for 5 minutes. The insect will come out on its own. A side effect of this method is a bruise.

With oil

This method is exclusively popular. It consists in the following: the sucked pest must be abundantly poured with vegetable oil. Some also advise using gasoline, kerosene, or other fatty substances. He won't be able to breathe, he'll die and fall off on his own. However, experts do not recommend this method. The fact is that the insect, when dying, relaxes the oral apparatus and its contents - saliva, which contains viruses and bacteria, enters the victim's bloodstream in large quantities, which significantly increases the risk of infection.

How to remove a tick at home, depending on the action taken

The following describes in more detail how exactly you need to act by choosing one or another method.

How to get a tick by twisting

As mentioned above, a twister or tweezers are used for this. In extreme cases, when there is nothing at hand, you can use your hands, but not bare, but after wrapping your thumb and forefinger with gauze or cloth. You can not squeeze the body of the arachnid, otherwise it will burst and the head will remain under the skin. It is also important to capture the insect as close to the skin as possible. It must be slowly twisted in any direction, holding it perpendicular to the skin. As a rule, 2-3 turns are enough.

How to remove a tick from the body by strangulation

The method is based on the action of fatty substances: they clog the respiratory tract of the pest, as a result of which it dies or, trying to survive, gets out on its own. This method is dangerous: when dying, he will have time to inject toxins into the blood, which can cause infection with tick-borne infections.

How to get a tick at home with a dead loop

The thread in the form of a loop is tightened on the body of the parasite, clasping it completely. Then it should be pulled out with short movements, sipping on the ends of the thread. The process is painstaking, long and does not give a 100% guarantee of its extraction.

Common Mistakes When Removing a Tick

When removing an insect, it is recommended to follow the rules outlined above. This ensures the safe removal of the parasite and reduces the risk of contracting tick-borne infections.

Most often, when removing a bloodsucker, the following errors:

an attempt to extract the parasite with bare hands - in this way you can become infected through microcracks and cuts on the skin;
an attempt to set fire to an insect - a tick, sensing danger, will cling even tighter to the skin and probably will not leave the bite, but the bitten one will have a burn;

applying various liquids (oil, gasoline, kerosene, etc.) - they can kill the insect, but before that it will inject toxins into the victim's bloodstream;
trying to pull out the tick by force - his body will break, which also increases the risk of infection entering the body.

Rules for transferring the tick to the laboratory

It is recommended that the extracted insect be submitted for laboratory analysis in order to identify its infection with tick-borne infections. To do this, a tick is placed in a container with a tight lid along with a small piece of moistened cotton wool or cloth. Before transport to the laboratory, it is acceptable to store the parasite in a refrigerator for 48 hours.

Submitting a tick for analysis.

The head of the tick remained in the body what to do

If the pest is not properly removed, its body may burst and the head will remain outside. This is easy to detect by looking at the bite: a small black dot will be visible in the middle. You can try to extract it with a hot needle, like a splinter. If it doesn’t work out, you can simply pour plenty of foreign body with iodine solution and wait for the body to reject it.

If signs of inflammation and suppuration appear, you should seek medical help.

How long does a bite last

At the site of the bite, in the center of the red spot, a crust first forms, then it scars. The stain itself without treatment lasts from several days to 2-3 weeks.

When to go to the hospital after a tick bite

It is recommended to contact a medical facility immediately after the parasite has been found on the body. The doctor will give the necessary recommendations and assess the need for immunoprophylaxis.

When dangerous symptoms occur after tick bitesuch as headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, seek help immediately.

It must be remembered that the diseases that ticks carry have a fairly long incubation period, so the first symptoms may appear weeks or even months after the bite.

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