Are Ticks Harmful to Humans?
The ticks that cause harm harbor disease-causing micro-organisms. For instance, the deer and wood ticks cause human infections like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Note that, unlike other ticks that you can easily see on the skin, the disease-causing deer tick is very tiny; thus, one needs to be very careful to identify them in children.
Symptoms of Tick Diseases
To diagnose tick-related infection early, be on the lookout for the following signs;
- A red bump surrounded by an expanding red rash resembling a bull’s eye. This is a typical symptom of Lyme disease.
- Secondly, red dots on wrist and ankle joints symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Like any other infection, tick infections can also cause body weakness or fatigue, nausea, vomiting, body, and joint aches. In addition, they can present with flu-like symptoms like cough, fast breathing, fever, and increased respiratory secretions.
How to Safely Remove Ticks On The Skin (Before attempting any of these please contact a medical professional)
Ticks usually invade the host through the skin. Suppose you note a tick on the skin, remove it safely using the following steps:
- Hold it firmly at its head next to the skin using tweezers.
- Pull the tick firmly and steadily off the skin. Avoid rocking the tick or twisting it side by side.
- Clean the site of the bite with clean water and soap.
- Finally, disinfect the bite site with alcohol.
Precautions
Do not use a hot match or petroleum jelly to kill or remove ticks from the skin since they can make them burrow further into the skin. Subsequently, they can release more disease harboring saliva into the blood.
- You can seek professional medical attention in case of the following after tick bites;
- Tick parts in site beyond 24 hours.
- Development of skin rashes
- In case the bite site looks infected, that is, it feels warm, swollen, painful on the touch, or oozes pus.
- If you experience fever, fatigue, or muscle and joint pain
More so, if you think you have a tick infestation in your home, please feel free to contact Long Island tick control experts, Kavanaugh Organic Tick Control L.L.C. We use natural and organic products, which are non-toxic to pets and humans.
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