Part of being prepared is knowing certain things, things like first aid or how to treat certain diseases. One thing that is helpful to know: how to deal with ticks. So today’s question is: If a tick has already attached itself to skin, how do I remove it?
According to the CDC, the best way is to use tweezers and pull upward slowly and steadily, without quick thrusts, as you want the tick to stay together as much as possible, because trying to get a little head out of the skin is a lot harder than pulling the whole body of the tick all at once. After the tick has been removed, including the head: first clean the site and your hands thoroughly with soap and water, then, for the next days and weeks, be watchful of the bite site to see if any bulls-eye type rash develops, or rash elsewhere on the body; also, be watchful of fever or other symptoms of illness, if anything does develop see the doctor and inform him/her of the tick bite.
The CDC has diagrams and more information on prevention and care for tick bites. I highly recommend learning about ticks: about identifying them (the ones that live in your geographical area or areas you will be visiting) and caring for tick bites.
The best option is to prevent the tick from biting--be aware of ticks, wash up and take other preventative measures to keep ticks off of you and your loved ones.
The low-country as well as throughout the south and other areas of the US have ticks. Some may or may not carry disease, but it is still best to prevent bites and be aware of how to go about treating them should one bite.
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