How to Prevent Lyme Disease From a Tick Bite

Remember to use clean fine-tip tweezers.

Read this article for advice on how to remove a tick in order to avoid dangerous (but rare) consequences.

Things You'll Need

• fine-tip tweezers
• plastic zip lock bag
• water
• soap
• magnifying glass (highly recommended)
• fine-tooth comb (if the tick is embedded in the scalp or other body part covered in hair)

Instructions

1. It is important to remove the tick as soon as you notice it. This will help to prevent you from developing more serious conditions, such as Lyme disease.

2. If the tick is in your hair or hard to see, you may want to consider using a magnifying glass and/or fine tooth comb to see the tick more easily.

3. Using the tweezers, grab the tick by its head. You MUST grab it by its head, or there is a possibility that you could push fluid (infected with Lyme disease bacteria) from its belly into the wound site. It is important to remove the tick by its head, so that you have a better chance at removing its mouth from the wound site. Once the tick's mouth is removed, there is less likelihood of infection.

4. Put the tick in a zip lock bag just in case you develop further symptoms and need to see a doctor.

5. Wash your hands and the wound site with soap and water.

6. Apply Neosporin to the wound site.

Tips & Warnings

• Try not to separate the tick's head from the tick's body. This will make it harder for you to remove the mouth from the wound site (which you have to do in order to make sure you do not get infected with an infectious disease)

• If you can not remove the tick, go to an urgent care facility and have a professional remove it.

• See a doctor IMMEDIATELY, if you notice swollen lymph nodes, pain, swelling around the wound site, pus draining from the wound site, headache, nausea, and/or develop a fever.

• DO NOT burn the tick. You need to remove the tick by the head to prevent being infected by bacteria.

• DO NOT use nail polish.

• DO NOT use petroleum jelly.