Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (cont.)
What is the best way to remove a tick?
1. Use fine-tipped
tweezers or notched tick extractor, and protect your fingers with a tissue,
paper towel, or latex gloves. Persons should avoid removing ticks with bare
hands.
2. Grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible and pull upward
with steady, even pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tick; this may cause the
mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin. (If this happens, remove
mouthparts with tweezers. Consult your health care provider if illness occurs.)
3. After removing the tick, thoroughly disinfect the bite site and wash your
hands with soap and water.
4. Do not squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick because its fluids
may contain infectious organisms. Skin accidentally exposed to tick fluids can
be disinfected with iodine scrub, rubbing alcohol, or water containing
detergents.
5. Save the tick for identification in case you become ill. This may help
your doctor to make an accurate diagnosis. Place the tick in a sealable plastic
bag and put it in your freezer. Write the date of the bite on a piece of paper
with a pencil and place it in the bag.
Do folklore remedies work?
No. Folklore remedies, such as the use of
petroleum jelly or hot matches, do little to encourage a tick to detach from
skin. In fact, they may make matters worse by irritating the tick and
stimulating it to release additional saliva or regurgitate gut contents,
increasing the chances of transmitting the pathogen. These methods of tick
removal should be avoided.
How can ticks be controlled?
Strategies to reduce vector tick
densities through area-wide application of acaricides (chemicals that will kill
ticks and mites) and control of tick habitats (e.g., leaf litter and brush) have
been effective in small-scale trials. New methods being developed include
applying acaricides to animal hosts by using baited tubes, boxes, and feeding
stations in areas where infected ticks are endemic. Biological control with
fungi, parasitic nematodes, and parasitic wasps may play supportive roles in
integrated tick control efforts. Community-based integrated tick management
strategies may prove to be an effective public health response to reduce the
incidence of tick-borne infections. However, limiting exposure to ticks is
presently the most effective method of prevention of tick-transmitted diseases.
SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Last Editorial Review: 10/26/2007
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