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Good day. Last year, relatives came to visit. One of the forest walks ended in a successful “landing” of a tick on my uncle’s neck.
The parasite guest was discovered at home. Uncle categorically refused the offer to go to the hospital.
I had to remove it at home. But such a procedure requires compliance with certain requirements. Want to know which way to twist the tick? What other related actions need to be performed? In the article below I will talk about all the main nuances.
The content of the article:
- 1 How to get a tick, or the whole truth about ticks
- 2 How to get a tick in a person? In which direction to unscrew the tick
- 3 The main mistakes that people make when they bite insects
- 4 How to pull out the tick yourself and safely?
- 5 How to remove and protect against ticks
- 6 How to "remove" a tick?
- 7 Medical advice
- 8 How to pull out a tick
- 9 How to get a tick in a person at home
How to get a tick, or the whole truth about ticks
It is clear that the first action in the case of suction of the tick should be its extraction. And here, as it turned out, not everything is clear.
Yes, yes, for the first 25 years of my life, I, like many others, was convinced that to extract a tick, it was necessary to lubricate it with oil, thereby depriving it of the opportunity to breathe, and after waiting for some time, pull it out.
It was also possible to meet recommendations such as putting a ring on a sucking tick, and pour kerosene on the resulting reservoir. The principle, it seems, is clear.
An analysis of sources and a public opinion poll led to an interesting discovery. Regarding the removal of ticks, citizens are divided into two camps: supporters of oil and other chemicals and, accordingly, opponents. So, what to get a tick? The following options are usually offered:
- with fingers
- tweezers / clamp
- thread loop
- tick twister or tick tick stands apart
Now for the details. The first two methods are bad in that they are associated with squeezing the parasite. The third is good for everyone, except for one. Have you ever tried to get a tick in this way? Not? Then imagine the following situation.
The consequences are even worse than in the case of tweezers: the tick is torn in half, goodbye managed to spit blood directly into the soul of the carrier with the most selected pathogens of encephalitis and Lyme disease, the remaining part is now even more difficult to get, and everything around is smeared with biologically dangerous entrails.
It is possible to apply the thread-loop method to a tick-bitten dog only if it is previously immobilized, otherwise extracting the parasite turns into some kind of crazy dance, where a person, a dog and a tick are intertwined into a single lump of entities.
This is all I say, based on my personal experience. Perhaps someone who has a slightly straighter hand described and worked out much better than me.
In fact, this is a small plastic nail clipper (greetings from the toy Gordon Freeman). On the flat part there is a tapering incision in which the proboscis of the tick is captured at the very surface of the skin. Next, rotate the tongue around the axis of the tick until it is removed.
The advantage of the method is the minimum compression of the body of the parasite and, therefore, reducing the likelihood of unwanted emissions.
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Please understand me correctly, I in no way advertise green plastic poker made in China, I really liked the idea.
Ticks cost around $ 4. Whether it is for sale in Russia - I do not know, but the bourgeois messenger is always at your service. From the picture it’s clear that making it yourself is not so difficult.
I immediately warn that nothing good comes out of a plastic bottle and similar materials - it is too soft material, it is inconvenient to use, and the tick constantly strives to jump out of the grip.
How to get a tick in a person? In which direction to unscrew the tick
Bites of some types of insects can be quite dangerous. These include, for example, ticks. Sometimes people simply do not know how to get a tick from a person, where to put it after a bite, and make mistakes in the process of removing it from the body.
Sometimes there are situations when parts of the body of the insect remain in the skin. How to pull out the head of the tick, its proboscis, or insect is completely correct?
What is this parasite?
This is an arachnid insect of the subclass of arthropods. Its dimensions in a hungry state can reach five millimeters. The body of the tick consists of two parts and four pairs of paws. Not all species are parasites that feed on blood. But some, being such, can become carriers of dangerous diseases.
He sees the insect very poorly. But his sense of smell is well developed. In particular, a hungry individual is able to feel a person ten meters away.
A hungry insect drinks blood not only in humans and animals. If nearby it finds a similar well-fed individual, then it can calmly take advantage of its “lunch” and suck blood from it.
Where do they live
Ticks usually live in the forest. Focusing on the tips of branches, blades of grass and leaves, they are ready to use every opportunity to cling to the edge of a person’s clothes. If they succeed, they begin to slowly move to an open area of the skin.
How do they bite
Having overtaken the target, the insect is fixed in place by its paws, on which sharp claws and suckers are located, and pierces the skin with a proboscis, beginning to penetrate with its whole body inside and drink blood.
Usually they bite where there are thin patches of skin and there is enough blood. This is the neck, head, where hair, armpits and other places grow.
How to get a tick in a person? Well, if there is an opportunity to immediately contact the specialists in the clinic.But what if there is nothing of the kind nearby?
How to remove a tick at home and what is needed for this? Before proceeding with the answer to this question, it is necessary to understand what should not be done in this situation in the first place.
The main mistakes that people make when they bite insects
Unaware of how to get the tick right at home, people heed the advice of others. Sometimes such recommendations, to put it mildly, are not effective, and can even cause additional harm. Here's how to remove an insect from the skin:
- It is impossible to sharply or excessively pull the tick. Because of this, the proboscis may remain inside the skin.
- Dirty hands or tools can cause infection.
- No need to try to crush the insect before removing it.
- It’s pointless to fill the area with the tick with oil and wait for it to come out on its own. The insect will suffocate and remain in the body, because the oil clogs the hole for its breathing. Moreover, in such a situation, the tick may well spew out all its saliva, and the risk of infection with diseases will increase significantly.
- A cap with water applied to the skin area will also be useless. The insect will not crawl out to swim there.
- Cauterization by a cigarette, applying any caustic liquid, such as ammonia, gasoline, vinegar, and so on, also will not bring the desired result.
How to get a tick in a person
There are several ways to do this. If there is nothing suitable at hand, you can try removing the tick with your fingers. To do this, they need to be wrapped in a clean cloth and grasp the insect as close to his head as possible.
If he managed to stick, you need to carefully, slowly, twist it in different directions, since it is easier to twist the tick when it has already firmly stuck into the skin.
After this has been possible, it is necessary to check whether insect remains have remained in the body. But to squeeze out with your fingers is still highly undesirable. Better to find items for safer insect recovery.
Good for this purpose tweezers. With it, a tick is grabbed by the head and trunk, then it slowly begins to pull.
There is still a way to pull the tick with a thread. To do this, a loop is made, the insect is pulled in it as close to the proboscis as possible, and one end or the other extends alternately.
An easy syringe can be used for this purpose. An insulin look is suitable. How to remove the tick with a syringe? You just need to cut off the tip, attach an insect to the area of the skin and gradually pull the piston towards you.
If the insect has managed to stick strongly, then it needs to be twisted. How to twist a tick? Gently unwind two to three times in one direction, grabbing the head. In this case, you must try not to overwhelm it.
What to do after that
After it was possible to pull out the tick with a syringe or in another way, the site of the bite should be properly treated with an antiseptic, iodine, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Do not destroy the insect after it has been removed from the body.
For this tick is placed in a jar. If a lot of time passes (up to two days) before delivery to the laboratory, then you need to put a damp cloth in the jar.
If the proboscis remains inside
If the tick was not completely pulled out and the proboscis or head remained inside, then there is nothing to worry about.
You can try to get your head with a disinfected needle. To do this will not be more difficult than removing a splinter. Just as you pull out the head of a tick, you can get rid of the proboscis remaining in the skin.
What threat does a parasite bite carry?
The bite of this insect can carry with it the most serious consequences.A person can become infected with dangerous diseases, the carrier of which is an insect.
Borreliosis, in turn, is dangerous because it can lead to damage to the heart, joints and other organs. However, if proper treatment is completed in time, then such serious consequences can be avoided.
How not to let yourself bite
To prevent ticks from digging into the skin, the following measures must be taken.
Going to a park or forest, you need to wear such clothing that it covers almost the entire body. Trousers are tucked into socks, and cuffs of sleeves are fastened. It is also advisable to cover your head with a hat.
Before you sit on the grass, you need to lay a coverlet.
Periodically inspect clothing and body. Since the insect moves quite slowly, you can easily get it off of your clothes.
There are vaccines against encephalitis that are given in early spring.
You can use special means-repellents that protect both from tick bites and other insects.
Tick Remedies
Repellents usually repel parasites. They spray clothes and exposed skin, which insects prefer the most.
In addition to aerosols, products are released in the form of lotions and creams. The protective functions of processed clothing will last for five to six days.
How to pull out the tick yourself and safely?
No one is safe from tick attacks, and therefore you need to know how to pull out a tick if it suddenly spins into you and drinks your blood. Still, it’s unpleasant to feel when someone drinks your blood.
Although you do not feel either the bite itself or the process of drinking blood with a tick, it releases saliva at this moment, which anesthetizes the wound. For the same reason, not everyone can immediately detect a tick on their body.
Ticks do not always fall on the victim from above from a tree or other tall shrub or plant. Usually they wait for the victim on a branch of some plant, which you can pass by.
Therefore, it is necessary first of all to take care of yourself and not allow the tick to come to you, so that you do not have to get it out of yourself later, but for this you should be careful. And after a walk in nature, in the forest, among trees and shrubs - always carefully examine yourself.
There are several ways to get rid of a tick. We will analyze some of them that are the most popular.
The easiest and most dangerous way is to simply pull out the tick. From this action you will feel unpleasant sensations and most likely, parts of the tick will remain in you, because at the moment of pulling it out, it will simply be torn to pieces.
Popular methods of removing bloodsuckers
It is believed that the tick, penetrating into our body, is screwed into it clockwise. Therefore, in order to pull out the tick, you need to do the reverse manipulation - unscrew it counterclockwise. To do this, grab the part of the tick closest to the body and begin to turn counterclockwise.
You can do this with your fingers as well as with tweezers.It is not uncommon to use a simple thread, 10 cm long, when they grasp a tick and also begin to twist, holding it with both hands from different sides. This method is used very often and always gives an excellent result.
It is used mainly if the tick has not yet completely screwed its head in - you will need to grab onto it, either with your fingers, or with tweezers, or with a thread.
Mite cauterization. Sensing strong heat, the tick tries to quickly get out of the skin. To do this, you can use the match that just burned. Or use a magnifier, directing a ray of light at the tick. At the moment of cauterization, the tick quickly comes out of the skin - therefore, it can leave particles of itself in you.
Sunflower oil. This remedy is used to only mite air. To do this, lubricate the tick and everything that is next to it with sunflower oil. After some time, the tick begins to lick, usually it takes no more than 20 minutes.
But if this method did not work, then the first 2 methods of getting rid of the tick can be applied.
To protect yourself from the tick and its attack while you are in nature or in the country, you can use special sprays or aerosols. They can be bought at the pharmacy.
How to remove and protect against ticks
From May to September, ticks are activated in forests and city parks. Ticks themselves do not carry any danger, but they can be carriers of such serious infections as tick-borne encephalitis and tick-borne borreliosis.
Ticks live not on trees, as is commonly believed, but on bushes and in tall grass. The tick perceives in advance infrared radiation coming from an approaching person and prepares to attack it.
After contact with the skin, the tick sucks and sucks blood (if the tick contains pathogens of encephalitis or borreliosis, they penetrate the human blood). After a few days, the parasite falls off without a trace. If the tick was infected, then within 30 days after a bite, a person can get sick.
What to do
Going to a forest park or forest, it is better to wear a hat, clothes that cover the whole body, spray clothes with repellent repelling ticks. While walking, keep on the paths, do not climb into the thicket! After returning from a walk - undress and examine each other from head to toe.
If possible, you can contact a medical institution, there the tick is taken out professionally. Do not rush to solemnly burn the extracted tick; it is better to place it in a jar and take it to the hospital, where you can determine whether the tick was infected or not.
Within three days after the bite, you must contact the nearest medical institution for the prevention of viral encephalitis.
The introduction of anti-tick-borne immunoglobulin for children under 18 years of age is free, adults are given free iodantipyrine tablets (which, incidentally, is nice to take with you on a trip).
Within 30 days after the bite must be observed by a doctor. If a temperature or rash occurs, an urgent consultation with an infectious disease specialist.
Do not touch the tick with your bare hands; it can be contagious. The tick will not harm the dog or other pets; they have innate immunity to encephalitis. But goat milk must be boiled before consumption, as it can be a source of viral encephalitis.
People who have a high risk of encountering a tick (tourists, foresters, summer residents) are better off getting an encephalitis vaccine.Traditionally, they are held in advance in the autumn-winter period.
However, now foreign vaccines have also appeared for the rapid (three vaccinations within 21 days) prevention of encephalitis.
Ticks, by virtue of their physiological characteristics, do not immediately begin to feed on blood after sucking to the skin, so when they are quickly detected and removed, the risk of becoming infected is reduced.
In which direction to unscrew the tick
Popular rumor calls to spread the bite of the oil with oil, in order to drown the tick in it. I tried to fill them with different oils, ointments and other chemicals. Not one tick wanted to climb out. Perhaps the tick as a result weakens its grip, but you still have to pull it out.
The tick must be removed and in order to do it correctly, you need to know how it bit. Ticks do not stick their heads in like mosquitoes. They are screwed into the skin like screws.
However, pulling out a tick is only half the battle. It is necessary to somehow protect yourself from tick-borne encephalitis. The scientific literature does offer a different description of the process of suction to the victim.
... Inside the proboscis there are claw-shaped jaws with which the parasite cuts through the skin of its victim, and on the outside it is covered with large teeth directed backwards, which allow it to be fixed securely, like an anchor, during feeding.
A sucking tick begins to secrete saliva into the resulting wound. The salivary glands of ticks are huge, occupying almost the entire body in length.
Some of them anesthetize the wound, others destroy the walls of blood vessels and surrounding tissues, others suppress the host's immune responses aimed at rejecting the parasite. The blood and particles of destroyed tissue entering the wound are diluted with saliva and absorbed by the tick ...
I don’t know which of this is true, but twisting the ticks is really more effective than pulling out.
How to "remove" a tick?
What do you think, in which direction should the tick be rotated when removed from the animal?
The “proboscis” of the tick (oral apparatus) in most cases is all strewn with thorns, like a harpoon. As soon as the proboscis of the tick penetrates the skin of the animal, the spikes “open” and very well hold the tick in the skin of the animal, then pulling it out or pulling it out is very problematic.
Therefore, it is necessary to twist the tick, while it does not matter which way. In the process of twisting the tick, the thorns fold along the proboscis, and the tick easily lends itself and leaves the skin of the pet.
But now there are special tools that allow the animal owner or doctor to quickly and painlessly remove the tick from the animal. The main rules that it is advisable to adhere to while:
- Try to grab the tick as close as possible to the point of attachment to the skin of the animal.
- In no case do not put pressure on the body of the tick, as this can lead to the reverse injection of liquids from the tick into the dog, at the same time there is a high risk of penetration into the blood of the pet and the causative agents of dangerous diseases - babesia, anaplasma, borrelia, ehrlichia, etc.
- After removing the tick, it is advisable to see a veterinarian; in the absence of such an opportunity, it is important to pay close attention to the condition and behavior of the animal for several days. The slightest changes in the norm of your pet’s behavior (apathy, change in behavior, refusal of food, etc.) should be a signal for contacting a veterinary clinic.
Medical advice
If you see a tick on your body, do not panic. Experts do not recommend rushing, as in this case you can tear off the body of the tick from the head and it will remain under the skin.
At home, you can pull out the tick by spreading it with vegetable oil. In this case, the insect is not able to breathe. After smearing the body and the bite of the parasite, you must wait about 20 minutes. After this time, the insect begins to move, but does not come out. You should pull it out yourself.
Instead of oil, many use soap, cologne, alcohol, or nail polish. If the tick is still small, then it can be gradually loosened from side to side, then it will be easier to stretch it. If the tick has already become large, then it is better to twist it counterclockwise with tweezers or tweezers for eyebrows.
To free the body from the insect, you can put on a loop of thread and rotate it slowly counterclockwise. If the head of the tick remains in the human body, then it should be pulled out with a needle, which must be disinfected with alcohol or vodka.
If you find a tick on your body, you need to take it to the laboratory for analysis, since the tick can carry such a dangerous disease as encephalitis.
You can only check a live tick. Therefore, place it in an airtight container and take it to the laboratory. If this is not possible that day, keep the container in the refrigerator.
How to pull out a tick
How to pull out a tick and what to do if you find it on your body? You need to contact a medical institution. He may be the carrier of encephalitis and only laboratory analysis can establish the presence of the disease.
From myself I pull out ticks not one at a time. Although lately I have become more cautious, and they are visiting me less and less. First, about how to remove a tick, and then about prevention methods.
You found a tick on your body
You can determine the gender of the pet. If he is small and black, then this is a male and he will fall off in a couple of hours. In the forest, because of the clothes of a tick, it is difficult to detect, and most often I found them in my soul after a trip. That is why, most likely, you will not see him - he will fall off before you get home.
And if you already found a tick on yourself, then this is most likely a female. It has a red abdomen and a black head. The female can spend up to two weeks on the body, gradually increasing in size.
Once I found on my inner side of my arm, next to an armpit, such a long-standing tick. Their red color disappears and the tick turns gray. It can be about the size of a pea.
Extraction methods
The only sure way to pull out the whole tick is to pull it to the very base, that is, you need to take it from the very edge of the wound - by the proboscis and in no case do not drag it by the body - you will tear off part of the tick and then have to pick it out - get the remains from the wound.
As an instrument, female eyelash curlers are best suited. I have such in a first-aid kit.They compare favorably with ordinary tweezers in that their lips meet only at the leading edge, and not over the entire area. Thanks to this, the tick can be taken exactly by the trunk.
You need to try to take it as close to the skin as possible (to the site of the bite), the closer, the better - the less chance of crushing it or leaving the proboscis in the wound. Have taken. Slightly pull the pet away from the wound (Slightly!) So as not to tear it off. The skin at the wound site should be raised. And we start to rotate.
No need to twist fast - tear off. We try not to unclench the tool in the process. In which direction to turn, there is no difference. The proboscis of the tick is not a bolt and there is no thread there. After 2-3 turns, the tick should be wiped.
We rotate the thread and pull it slightly, make sure that the tick also rotates. Also, after 2-3 turns, it should exit. This method, I myself have not tried, but familiar tourists use it.
After they took out the bloodsucker
The site of the bite must be inspected and make sure that they did not tear off part of the insect, namely they pulled it out. You can look at the tick itself. The proboscis should be in place.
And if you leave there, then it will begin to fester. Also, if there is a suspicion that the tick is a spreader of the virus, it must be saved and sent for research. The tick can be dried, but in no case alcohol. Anoint the wound after the tick with iodine.
Erroneous methods
No need to water the tick with oil. It's useless. Allegedly, the tick should begin to suffocate and crawl out on its own. Perhaps he will begin to suffocate and die a painful death, but he will not go anywhere from the wound.
No need to cauterize with various chemistry. Only the animal will kill.
No need to engage in self-torture, for example, burn a tick and a bite of a cigarette or hot coal from a fire. What will happen after that is unknown. It will hurt for sure.
Prevention And how the tick picks the victim
Ticks find their master by smell; they have no eyes. But on the other hand, they can distinguish the smell of an animal or a person at a distance of up to 10 meters. Taiga ticks are not very mobile. They do not know how to fly, do not know how to jump, they do not know how to fall from branches onto the heads of tourists.
The tick sits in the grass or in the foliage of low trees and bushes. He patiently waits for someone to pass by. When approaching a potential host, the tick raises its front legs, equipped with claws, with which the tick clings to clothing, hair, or skin.
However, do not throw off a living tick where you are sitting, because it can crawl back. In order to avoid getting a tick on the body, going to the forest you need to choose clothes with tight cuffs on the sleeves and legs, make sure that there are no open areas of the body between the shoes and pants.
Take repellent with you to the forest. Try not to touch (if possible) the edges of the bushes, foliage of low trees, especially when going to the "toilet" ...
Where do the parasites live?
Ticks do not live in a good, strong, beautiful forest, in a forest where there is no undergrowth. Ticks do not live in the fields. They live on the edge of a weak forest, where it is full of bushes, grass, some strange crooked sticks randomly grow.
They show the greatest activity and mass in the spring from mid-May to mid-late June. After which the bulk of the ticks perishes.
Among them there are people like dripping oil and waiting, pouring it with alcohol, kerosene, and even burning it with a cigarette - is it interesting that the one who wrote it he tried to do it on his own?)
In fact, if a tick is poured with oil, as advised, it really starts to choke and ... and chokes safely, and does not crawl out and run away. A tick is best pulled alive!
The list of territories of the Russian Federation endemic for tick-borne encephalitis and detailed information about encephalitis and ticks can be found here: encephalitis.ru
Tick taiga. general information
Ticks (order Acarina of the class Arachnids) is one of the most diverse and ancient groups of arthropods on Earth. As a rule, the tick feeds on plant debris, soil fungi, or other small arthropods.
Ixodid ticks transmit pathogens of humans with natural foci: tick-borne encephalitis (the main carriers are taiga tick Ixodes persulcatus and I. ricinus), tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease), tick-borne tick-borne fever, tick-borne tick-borne fever, hemorrhagic fever, fever, fever ehrlichiosis and many others.
Despite the significant number of species of ixodid ticks, only two species have real epidemiological significance: Ixodes Persulcatus (taiga tick) in the Asian and some parts of the European part, Ixodes Ricinus (European forest tick) in the European part.
Taiga and European forest ticks are giants compared to their “peaceful” counterparts, their body is covered with a powerful carapace and equipped with four pairs of legs.
In females, the integument of the back is highly stretched, which allows them to absorb large amounts of blood, hundreds of times more than a hungry tick weighs.
Males are much smaller than females and they suck for a maximum of an hour, then they themselves fall off. Males have a more important occupation than they have is the search for females. However, female taiga ticks can parasitize on the body for a week.
How to get a tick in a person at home
Spring is the favorite time for these parasites, and they are hungry after winter, begin their attack with tall trees and low young grass.
Acarology (a science that studies ticks) has more than 54 thousand species. And while not all of them attack people, some attack their already well-fed relatives, and some even feed on worms and larvae.
The most important rule when removing an insect is to be sure of a positive outcome and not be afraid to hurt the victim, as the procedure is painless, but not pleasant.
How to get a tick in a person - clockwise or counterclockwise
In fact, there is no difference which way the animal is twisted. The main thing is not to squeeze it in order to avoid injecting poison into the wound. Wrap fingers with clean gauze, grasp the tick body with the thumb and forefinger.
If you disdain to take the animal in your hands, use a special device for pulling out ticks. But you can handle ordinary tweezers.
Vegetable oil - for or against
The method using oil is doubtful. If we oil the skin around the wound, the pest begins to suffocate and leaves the "crime scene" itself.
The second argument is the use of the loop. The essence of the method is to wrap a strong thread around the tick, slightly tighten it, and begin to slowly pull it up. The danger lies in breaking the insect.
To ukolchik
The next method is quite safe, and very convenient. First prepare the equipment. Take a syringe (preferably for injection with insulin or a two-cube) and cut off the front of it with the spout for the needle.
Try to trim as evenly as possible. We apply a syringe to the skin and begin to pull the piston to pump air. Vacuum will push the parasite out. Do not be alarmed if you see a bruise at the site of the bite - these are consequences of a vacuum.
Pulled out then
As soon as the tick leaves its “mink”, place it in a container in which there will be wet paper and close it tightly. Treat the wound with an antiseptic, and wash your hands and the instrument used thoroughly with soap, for the best result - after treat with an antiseptic spray or gel.
The animal must be delivered for analysis no later than 2 days later.
If you are afraid to remove the insect yourself, or do not have experience, then turn to specialists, there they themselves will analyze the bloodsucker.
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