Popular Science: Beware of Ticks When Going Out

We are gradually entering summer, the weather is getting better and better, and more and more people are wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts. At the same time, ticks and the diseases they spread have entered their peak season, so be careful of tick bites when you go out for fun.

What are ticks?

Ticks are also known as grass crawlers. They are generally reddish-brown in appearance, oval in shape, and about the size of a sesame seed. When they suck human blood, they swell to the size of a red bean. Ticks mainly live in grass, trees, and bushes. If a person or pet passes by and is bitten by a tick, the tick will attach itself to the person's body.

Are tick bites dangerous?

After being bitten by a tick, you generally don't feel any pain, but after a while, you will develop symptoms such as dermatitis, rash, and itching. Ticks can carry a variety of viruses and spread a variety of diseases, such as fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and viral encephalitis. Tick-borne diseases generally have an acute onset, with the main symptom being fever, which is mostly above 38°C, and can reach 40°C in severe cases, accompanied by fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Some patients have symptoms such as headache and muscle aches, and a blood test will reveal a decrease in the number of white blood cells and platelets. If suspected symptoms occur, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Through timely and standardized treatment, the vast majority of patients recover well.

How to protect yourself?

When going outdoors, especially to grasslands, bushes and other environments, you should try to wear tight-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and avoid wearing sandals or slippers that expose your feet. You can also apply mosquito repellent on exposed skin. When leaving the wild, carefully check for tick bites, mainly on the scalp, waist, ankles, etc. These areas should be checked specifically. If you are traveling with pets, you should also check whether there are ticks attached to the pets.

How to deal with tick bites?

After being bitten by a tick, don't panic, don't pull it hard, and don't use cigarette butts or fire to burn it, so as not to break the tick and leave it in the body. The correct way is to wipe it with alcohol to relax the tick's head, clamp the head with pointed tweezers to remove it, and then disinfect the bite site with iodine or alcohol. If you are not sure, please go to the hospital as soon as possible for treatment. After being bitten, you should always pay attention to your physical condition. If you have symptoms such as fever, you should see a doctor in time and tell the doctor about the history of tick bites.