How to get a tick in a person?

One of the most unpleasant side effects of a Sunday vacation in nature can be a meeting with such a representative of the Arachnids as a tick. Surely many have heard about all the troubles that this insidious parasite can deliver. People are so diligently told about the horrors of encephalitis that some of them simply faint or stupor when they see a tick. And this is simply unacceptable in this situation. A frivolous attitude will not lead to anything good either. Therefore, every sane person should know what and in what sequence should be done with the bite of this insidious spider. To begin with, we’ll analyze who he is and how he is so insidious.

What are ticks?

A tick is not an insect, as many believe. It belongs to the order Arachnids. The family is large enough, more than 54 thousand varieties, but to our happiness, only a few of them can pose a direct threat to humans. There are individuals of about 5 mm, but for the most part their size does not exceed 0.4 mm. The body of the tick can be whole or in two parts.

A lot of representatives of this friendly family of parasites live next to us. Some live in mattresses and pillows (dust and scabies mites), others where food is stored (barns). Still others settle on the human body (subcutaneous) or in the ears of our cats and dogs.

Ticks do not have organs of vision, but their sense of smell is well developed. The parasite is able to feel its victim at a distance of up to 10 meters. By structure, they are divided into leathery and armored. If the former are able to breathe through the skin, then the carapace has a special device (spiracle) for this in the back of the body.

Varieties

For a general idea, we will talk about the main varieties of ticks.

Parasitic in humans:

1. Ixodic - spiders about 2.5 mm with durable chitinous plates. Hiding in the leaves of trees and bushes. They parasitize both forest and domestic animals. Danger to humans. They can suck blood without stopping, up to three weeks!
2. Argasovy - live in dwellings and outbuildings. Usually parasitize on domestic animals. Able to attack humans. The bite is palpable and rather painful. After a bite, itching and rash may appear. Argas tick has a leathery cover and a head recessed in the body.
3. Gamazovye - live in bird nests, burrows, basements, chicken coops, etc. Parasitize on the inhabitants of these dwellings. Sometimes they attack a person. Size up to 3.5 mm.
4. Subcutaneous is a very interesting type. It can live for years on a person without causing much concern. In fact, almost everyone has one. But as soon as they exceed the permissible concentration, their presence becomes noticeable and unpleasant (rash, acne, oily sheen).
5. Scabies - makes small passages in the skin, causing terrible itching and redness. They live no more than 1.5 months, but during this time they manage to lay their eggs several times.
6. Forest - the most dangerous ticks for humans. They attack both people and animals. Often found in parks, on lawns, cottages. Carry encephalitis, typhoid, paralysis, tularemia and other infectious diseases obtained from animals.
7. Pasture - also dangerous for animals and humans. Carries fever to plague, brucellosis, encephalitis. It lives in the southern steppes and forests.

Human Neighbors:

1. Carapace - lives in the soil. It feeds on plants, mushrooms, lichens. It is dangerous for animals as a distributor of helminths.
2. Earplug - harmless to humans. It feeds on the earwax of animals. It can tolerate some diseases.
3. Dusty - lives in mattresses, pillows and carpets. It feeds on skin particles and can cause asthma. In small quantities, it does not cause much concern.
4. Gossamer - herbivore. It feeds on plant juice. It sticks to the sheet and draws juice from it. Able to completely destroy the plant.
5. Predatory - curious that it feeds on other ticks. Often it is used in greenhouses to destroy a cobweb.
6. Barn - rather dangerous for products. It clogs flour and grain with waste products.

What is the danger?

The most malicious representatives of this family are listed above. The most dangerous ones are easy to recognize. Their size gives. As a rule, it is from 3 to 5 mm, dressed in chitin plates. A female who has drunk blood can increase in size up to 10 times. The danger of these creatures is not at all in their bites, although they sometimes cause itching. Often the tick saliva contains an anesthetic, so that a person does not feel anything at all. The main danger lies in the transmission through the saliva of a parasite of various diseases derived from animals. About two percent of those bitten are infected with encephalitis.

A tick bite can cause:

1. Encephalitis.
2. Epilepsy.
3. Borreliosis
4. Arthritis.
5. Arrhythmia.
6. Pneumonia.
7. Loss of legal capacity.

It is important to remember that infection can be obtained not only with a bite, but also with the help of the victim. An infected tick can be distinguished from an ordinary one only in the laboratory.

The highest tick activity in spring. In especially hot summers and warm autumn, tick hunting for humans can last from April to the end of October. The parasite does not immediately dig into a person. Once on the skin, he can travel for hours on the body, looking for a suitable place. The most “convenient places”: armpits, groin, scalp, neck, back. A parasite can attack a person both from the ground and from above, for example from a tree. If, after a walk in nature and a thorough inspection, the enemy is still detected, it’s not worth panic and swoon. Safe tick removal methods will be discussed below .

Delete on your own

How to pull out a tick? An ideal option would, of course, be to contact a medical institution, emergency room and ambulance. But suppose, for some reason, this option is not considered (far, once, etc.) Then how to get a tick out of a person at home? It is important to remember that in no case can the head of the tick be torn off. Otherwise, the whole procedure will be useless. Poison and infection are in saliva. Tear off the calf will not do anything.

Special tools

In pharmacies and some stores, special devices and medical instruments are sold that can help you remove the tick. These include:

1. Tick ​​Twister is a small nail-like tool. Ticks are picked up under the head and pulled to the surface by rotational movements.
2. Ticked Off - a small spoon with a slit at an acute angle. The principle of pulling is the same as with a hook. Small sizes allow you to use the tool as a key fob.
3. Pro-Tick - a plate with a cut made at an acute angle. The principle of operation is no different from the previous ones. A special feature is a magnifying glass mounted in a plate. Thanks to him, you can better see the parasite attacking you.
4. Tick ​​Key - aluminum plates of different colors with a drop-shaped hole. The tick is picked up by the narrow part of the hole and gently extends. The original appearance allows you to carry it with you as a key ring.
5. Trix Tix Lasso - looks like a small fountain pen. When the button is pressed, a loop is released. The tick is captured under the base of the head, the button is released, the loop is tightened. The spider is pulled out by rotational movements.

Medical Instrument Extraction

It is not recommended to use medical tools to extract ticks. The fact is that this requires some skill, since there is a high probability of crushing the abdomen of a tick or tearing his head off. But if there are no other options, then how to get a tick out of a person? Two main methods are described below:

1. Medical tweezers. The principle is the same as described above. Grab the tick under the head as deep as possible. It’s better to rock it a little. Then, using rotary movements, carefully remove it outward. The edges of the tweezers can easily damage the body of the tick, so you have to act with extreme caution.
2. Disposable syringe. Ideal two millimeter or insulin. It is necessary to cut the edge of the syringe as evenly as possible. Thus, we get a hollow cylinder. We press it to the affected area so that the tick is inside. We pull out the piston, and the vacuum will pull out the tick and substances that he managed to inject.

Tool-free tick extraction

How to pull out a tick at home without tools? You can try to do this only in some special critical situations. In this case, it is easy to harm a bitten person even more and become infected. Official medicine does not approve of "initiative", but still there are several folk ways:

1. Thread - perhaps, physicians treat this option more favorably. A strong thread is taken, the tick is grasped under the head, gently loosens. After that, very slowly swinging the parasite, it is pulled out. You can’t rush, the procedure requires a certain exposure and can take up to 20 minutes.
2. Oil. The essence of this scheme is quite simple. Dripping oil on a tick, it will become difficult for him to breathe, and he will begin to get out. Quite possibly. But it is also possible that he will simply die, and before death he will release blood, saliva and poisonous substances inside.
3. Hands. The worst option! It is unacceptable to touch the tick with bare hands. This is the easiest way to crush the parasite and become infected yourself. But if there are no other options, you must use a napkin or something similar. The tick smoothly and very slowly sways and stretches.

After extraction

The extraction operation is not always successful. It happens that the head with the proboscis remain. All this is removed in the same way as an ordinary splinter. The needle is pre-disinfected with alcohol or vodka.

In any case, the wound must be disinfected with peroxide or iodine and be sure to wash your hands.

The tick must be preserved, and not earlier than 2 days later, show in the laboratory for research. It’s important to bring the parasite alive, so you need to put a couple of bags of damp paper on it.

In order to sleep peacefully and not worry, after 10 days it is advisable to donate blood for analysis, which will reveal the presence of tick-borne encephalitis. Also, tests are necessary in case of deterioration of health and the appearance of any unfamiliar symptoms.

Pets

Do not forget that it is pets that are at particular risk. Our cats and dogs become the primary targets of ticks, walking in lawns and parks. To avoid trouble, after each walk you need to check your little pet for new “friends”. The best option would be to carry out prophylaxis before the animal goes outside. To do this, there are various shampoos, collars and drops. All this can be easily found in any veterinary pharmacy. The skin of animals is thicker and rougher than human skin, so the tick, once on a cat or dog, begins to look for particularly vulnerable points. The owner should also pay attention to these places, examining the animal after a walk. These are: ears, groin, stomach, anus. If the enemy is still detected, we will prepare for removal. How to get a tick from a cat or dog?

Tick ​​Removal in Cats and Dogs

An ideal option would be to take the animal to a specialized clinic. If this is not possible, try to extract the parasite by yourself. How to get a tick from a dog or cat? This procedure is not much different from the same with the person.

An animal, unlike a person, is difficult to get to sit still, it strives to break free, and this can disrupt the extraction operation. In addition, it is advisable to remove or moisten the hair around the affected area so that it does not interfere. Further, the procedure is no different from the extraction of a parasite from a person. We take any tool from the above or throw a thread and, loosening the tick, carefully pull it out. You can pre-drip oil on it to loosen its grip. After removal, be sure to disinfect the wound. Just not iodine, cats can’t tolerate it!

Precautions

It is enough to follow simple rules in order to significantly reduce the risk of being bitten. There is no need to wear any special clothes. Sometimes it’s just enough to fasten well, put on a hat and tuck pants into shoes. It will be nice to have a tight collar and cuffs on your clothes. After returning, you must carefully examine yourself.

There are many chemicals to protect against parasites. According to the method of action, they can be divided into three main groups:

1. Repellent - repelling parasites ("Reftamid", "Biban", "Extreme").
2. Acaricidal - kill or paralyze ticks ("Reftamide taiga", "Fumitox anticommite", "Picnic anticompound").
3. Insecticidal-repellent - and kill and scare off at the same time ("Moskitol-antiklesch", "Kra-rep").

All of these funds are sold in stores. Also, do not forget about vaccination. So you can protect not only yourself, but also your pet. There is such a type of insurance as a tick bite. He will not save you from the attack of an evil parasite, but perhaps a small payment after a bite will slightly cheer you up. Take care of yourself and your loved ones!