Actual size of deer ticks How to remove a tick
‘ • Don t panic.
• Get the tick off; try brushing it off first. • If the tick is firmly attached:
Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
Use rounded forceps or fine-point tweezers.
• Don t touch the tick because fluid can be transmitted
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through the skin. • Pull upward slowly and steadily until tick lets go.
‘ • Don’t use home remedies to remove ticks; they
don t really work.
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• A kit is now on the market with a specially machined
tool that grasps the tick and pulls it out by rotating it.
If you have been bitten by a tick
• After removing the tick, put it in a jar of alcohol;
write down the date of bite. • With alcohol or Betadine, disinfect the area
where the tick bite occurred. • Wash hands thoroughly. • Watch the area where you were bitten for a month. • If mouth parts remain in the skin or a rash develops,
consult your doctor and take the tick with you.
Some Lyme-disease symptoms
• May get a bull s-eye rash. • Flu-like symptoms may occur –
fever, headache, fatigue, stiff neck, muscle and
joint pain. • Weeks or months later –
more severe symptoms may appear involving heart or nervous system.
Information
www.lymediseaseassociation.org
Lyme Disease Association Inc.
P.O. Box 1438, Jackson, NJ 08527
888-366-6611
Source: New Jersey Department of Health