A tick bite, while painless, can carry the risk of contracting tick-borne diseases. Data from the National Health Service are alarming. The number of patients with these diseases is growing. In 2023, it exceeded 100,000, compared to 95,000 the year before. In 99 percent of cases, patients were diagnosed with Lyme disease.
The common tick is an arachnid that goes through three phases of its development cycle - from larva to nymph to adult form in 2-3 years. In order for it to transform into its next form, it must drink the blood of an animal or human.
A tick can be the size of a pin head. It waits for a host in shrubs, grass, and damp places. Ticks are most active from spring to early autumn.
Lyme disease infection
Lyme disease, or Lyme disease, is a bacterial disease. A small percentage of ticks are carriers, and not every contact with an infected tick causes the disease, but if Lyme disease develops, it can lead to serious complications.
Lyme disease can develop over months or even years. It absolutely must be treated. Therefore, the very first symptoms require antibiotic therapy. Untreated Lyme disease can lead to a number of dangerous neurological complications, heart disorders or joint disease. A hospital stay and rehabilitation may be necessary.
How to recognize the infection?
Within 1-6 weeks, a migratory erythema, an oval-shaped lesion that enlarges over time, may appear at the site of a tick bite (it is generally ring-shaped, but sometimes it may take a different form or not appear at all). Other symptoms that may occur at this time include fever, fatigue, headache and a feeling of flare-ups.
A much rarer but more dangerous tick-borne disease is viral tick-borne encephalitis . In 2023, fewer than 700 people fell ill, of which more than 80 percent required hospitalization.
Removing the tick yourself
A tick stuck in the skin should be removed as soon as possible. The longer a tick is in contact with human blood, the greater the risk of infection. A significant increase in the risk of infection with the tick-borne bacteria occurs 36 hours after the insertion.
There are tools available at pharmacies for safe and effective, do-it-yourself tick removal. All of them guarantee safe grasping of the tick closer to the skin and pulling it out. After removing the tick, hygienic measures should be applied, i.e. washing and disinfecting the skin with, for example, hydrogen peroxide.
What to do when a tick remains in the skin?
In a situation where a large fragment of the tick's body, such as the head, remains during removal, you should see a doctor. Smaller fragments of the tick that remain under the skin during removal generally do not increase the risk of infection, in which case washing and disinfecting the wound is sufficient.
Doctors stress that improper removal of ticks increases the risk of infection with pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, the tick should not be pulled out with "bare" fingers, crushed, squeezed, twisted, burned, lubricated with greasy substances or other chemicals, e.g. body cosmetics, olive oil, or removed with a needle.
If the tick is completely removed before 24 to 48 hours after the bite, the risk of developing the disease is lower.
A doctor's advice may be required if there is redness and/or swelling, at and/or around the site of the insertion after complete or incomplete removal of the tick (in situations where a large fragment remains), and if there are sudden and other serious symptoms: high fever, nausea and vomiting, headaches or neurological symptoms.
If the doctor decides that surgical intervention is necessary, he will make an appropriate referral for further treatment.
It happens that after being bitten by a tick, we bring the arachnid to a diagnostic laboratory for examination. The National Board of Laboratory Diagnosticians strongly advises against this.
- Such a test, according to the regulations, cannot be considered a diagnostic test. Moreover, it is also not recommended by the bodies of scientists and specialists in infectious diseases," reports Monika Pintal-Slimak, president of the National Council of Laboratory Diagnosticians.
Testing a tick only allows you to determine whether it carries Borrelia spirochetes. A positive result does not confirm the transmission of spirochetes into the human body. Therefore, it is not possible on the basis of a tick test to confirm that a human infection has occurred.
How to prevent the disease?
Avoid walking along overgrown riverbanks, among tall grasses, in forested wetlands - these are natural habitats for ticks. When walking in areas where there is an increased risk of tick bites, wear high boots, long sleeves and long pants, and take care to cover your head. Choose light-colored clothing, on which you can more quickly observe the tick and remove it before the bite occurs. It is a good idea to use tick repellents, such as: creams, sprays, oils. After a walk, shake out clothes to remove ticks that have not had time to penetrate the skin and inspect the entire body, paying special attention to the abdominal area, breasts, groin and knees - these are common tick bite areas.
