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It is tick season again. We speak of a tick season in the period from March to October. As soon as the temperature rises above 7°C, they become active. A tick looks like a flat spider. They can be found in forests, dunes, heathlands, sheltered meadows, parks and gardens. You can get sick from a tick bite. You can recognize a tick because it looks like there is a black dot on your skin. After a few days, a tick swells up to a brown or gray ball the size of a pea. Check your child and yourself for a tick bite after you have been in the green.

How do I check for tick bites?

A tick prefers certain places on the body, such as the groin, the hollows of the knees, the armpits, the cleft of the buttocks, the edges of underwear, behind the ears and around the hairline in the neck. Also check clothing.

What should I do if I have a tick bite?

  1. Remove a tick as soon as possible! The longer the tick is in the skin, the greater the chance that it will transmit pathogens.
  2. Do not use alcohol, iodine, oil, soap or other agents before removing the tick.
  3. Grab the tick with a pair of pointed tweezers as close to the skin as possible by the head and gently pull it out. If a piece of the head remains behind, it is not dangerous. It will come out by itself, just like a splinter. Only use alcohol or iodine to disinfect after the entire tick has been removed.
  4. Mark the spot where the tick was removed and note the date of the tick bite. A reaction can occur up to three months after the bite.

Tips:
You can take additional measures to reduce the risk of a tick bite. You can do this by staying on paths as much as possible and avoiding dense vegetation or by wearing long clothing and closed shoes.
These tips do not guarantee that you will not get a tick bite. It is therefore important to check your body and clothing for tick bites after you have been in the green.

Please note: A small red spot at the site of the tick bite in the first few days after is a normal skin irritation. If that spot does not get bigger and disappears within a few days, then the chance that the spot is a symptom of Lyme disease is very small. If the spot gets bigger, go to the doctor.

Are you in doubt? Then contact your GP.