Summer is here, and from time to time there are news reports: children suddenly have little black spots on their bodies, and parents might at first glance think it’s new pigmented moles, or scab changes from accidental skin scratches.
However, upon closer inspection, it is found that these black spots are protruding from the skin surface, with a faint redness around them. In fact, this is a case of tick bite, which requires immediate attention.
When you discover that your child may have been bitten by a tick, stay alert! Stay alert! Stay alert!(Important things are said three times)
Related news, the red circle indicates the black spot after tick bite
At the beginning, the tick may only be attached to the skin surface, and its mouthparts have not yet penetrated the skin to suck blood. At this time, the tick can be driven away by patting.
Once the tick has buried its mouthparts into the skin and started to suck blood, the feeding tick will tightly attach to the skin, it’s not so easy to deal with anymore.
What symptoms can appear after a tick bite?
Once a tick embeds itself into the human skin, it injects saliva into the wound and begins to suck blood, gradually becoming swollen. If no external force is applied, the tick will only detach on its own after it has had its fill of blood.
Local symptoms
The most common reaction after a tick bite is that the bite area may exhibit mild redness, itching, and a sensation of pain, and some bite areas may show induration, papules, or ulcerated scab changes. Since the tick feeding process may last for several hours, and it may not be noticed until the tick has not yet detached, the appearance is that of an increasingly large black rash.
Allergic risk, severe can be fatal
Some sensitive individuals may have an allergic reaction to the tick’s venom during the tick bite process, such as subsequent urticaria, severe cases may have difficulty breathing, anaphylactic shock and other situations.
Tick paralysis risk
Even some tick saliva toxins begin to appear “tick paralysis” after the tick bite 4-7 days, which means that most of these patients may have progressive lower limb muscle weakness, unsteady gait. The symptoms of muscle weakness gradually spread to upper limbs, cranial nerves, and may even have respiratory muscle weakness. If not intervened, it may ultimately lead to the patient’s death.
Before the appearance of tick paralysis, some patients may have
abnormal sensations, fatigue, irritability, restlessness, myalgia and other prodromal symptoms, but usually no fever, no changes in neural sensation or cognition, so once a definite tick bite has occurred, the following week needs to pay close attention to the risk of tick paralysis.
Disease transmission risk
Tick bites can also lead to the transmission of some diseases, such as:
● Lyme disease(usually easy to have arthritis, neurological damage);
● Forest encephalitis(a viral disease that can cause meningitis, paralysis, and even death);
● Febrile thrombocytopenia syndrome(severe cases can lead to multiple organ failure);
● Others(Babesiosis, tick-borne relapsing fever, etc.).
Risk of changing allergic constitution
In addition, tick bites may change the patient’s allergic constitution, making some people allergic to certain red meats after tick bites(red meat mainly refers to beef, lamb, pork, etc.), leading to possible delayed allergic reactions after eating red meat.
When and where do ticks tend to appear?
Tick activity is significantly affected by temperature and humidity, spring and summer are especially from May to July each year is the high-incidence period for tick bites and tick-borne diseases.
Ticks are more active during the day, especially in the early morning and evening, when the temperature and humidity are more suitable for them to find hosts.
Literature shows that southern provinces, such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang and other places with humid climate and lush vegetation (forests, shrubs, hilly areas) are high-density distribution areas for ticks;
Central regions such as Henan, Hubei, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu and other mountainous, forested and hilly areas are the main epidemic areas for tick-borne diseases (such as fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome).
Northern regions such as Hebei, Shaanxi, Liaoning and other vegetation-covered areas (such as mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests, grasslands) also have tick distribution, but the density is relatively low.
Ticks prefer to haunt grasslands, shrubs, forest edges, pastures and farmlands and other areas with lush vegetation and abundant hosts (rodents, livestock).
Man-made environments such as urban parks, green belts, pet activity areas may also have ticks, especially the tiny cattle ticks that parasitize on dogs.
Ticks hidden behind a dog’s ear
The high-risk groups most likely to be bitten by ticks are mainly farmers, tea pickers, forestry workers and other people who are in long-term contact with the wild environment.
However, in recent years, with the surge in outdoor tourism and camping activities, visitors to mountainous and forested areas, especially child visitors are also often reported to be bitten by ticks.
Ticks prefer to bite thin and concealed parts of the skin, such as scalp, behind the ears, armpits, groin, ankles, etc., children’s delicate skin is more prone to be bitten, so be sure to guard against ticks!
The appearance of the neck after being bitten by a tick
Comparison of tick size with a coin
How to prevent tick bites?
When entering the mountainous wilderness where ticks may be present, be sure to protect your clothing! Try to wear light-colored long-sleeved pants and tuck your pants into your socks to maximize the reduction of skin exposure.
For areas of the skin that are still exposed, apply insect repellent as much as possible, such as repellents containing DEET(≥20%) or picaridin.
After leaving these areas, be sure to check the scalp, behind the ears, armpits and other hidden parts, and remove any attached ticks in a timely manner.
What should you do if you find a tick bite?
01 Remove the attached tick in time
After a tick bite, the first step is to remove the attached tick in time. The correct way to remove the attached tick is as follows:
1
Choose sharp tweezers or small forceps to clamp the tick’s head close to the skin surface, avoiding squeezing or clamping the tick’s body to prevent the tick’s body from breaking off and leaving the mouthparts behind. If there are no tweezers or forceps on the spot, you can wrap your hand with paper or cloth and then remove the tick’s head;
After clamping the tick’s head, you need to maintain a steady force, gently and firmly pull the tick straight up;
During the removal process:
● Do not squeeze, crush or puncture the tick’s body, as its bodily fluids may contain infectious factors;
● Do not pull or twist the tick, as this may cause its mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin;
● If the tick’s mouthparts are left in the skin, it is recommended to wait for the mouthparts to fall off on their own; digging them out may increase the risk of soft tissue infection.
2
After removing the tick, it is necessary to disinfect the bitten area immediately and wash your hands with alcohol or soap and water.
02 Continue to observe after removal
After removing the tick, observe whether the bite area develops a migratory erythema(see illustration below), and observe for a period of 30 days. If it appears, seek medical attention immediately.
(Image source: uptodate)
←Slide left and right to view→
03 Medication guide
It is not recommended to remove ticks by applying Vaseline, nail polish, isopropyl alcohol, or using a lit match, etc.
These methods may increase the likelihood of the tick’s mouthparts remaining in the host’s skin.
In some countries(e.g., Australia), it is advocated to freeze the tick first and then remove it because the local tick species, such as the(Ixodes holocyclus), produces toxins that can cause “tick paralysis”. If the tick is not killed first, it may increase the release of toxins. However, in most other cases, this operation is not necessary when removing ticks..
Some patients who have been bitten by ticks may take doxycycline orally as an antimicrobial drug to prevent the risk of subsequent disease transmission, but whether medication is needed or not is recommended to seek medical help at the hospital.
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