Do you check your dog for ticks after he burrows into the grass to play?
When camping or climbing in the suburbs, do you expose your legs to the grass and trees?
After your child goes out to play, do you check his body carefully?
If none of the above is done, beware.
Today, it was reported that a man in Jiangsu was camped when a tick penetrated his left leg, leaving half of his body exposed.
Image source: People’s Network Weibo
Many people may not know about this little bug. It was responsible for an outbreak of forest encephalitis in the former Soviet Union in 1937. Later, this little bug spread in the northeast.
Tick-borne encephalitis in Heilongjiang Province has been officially recorded since 1952, when the fatality rate reached 25.72%. That is, 1 in 4 dies from it.
For a period of time after that, the urgent situation in the Northeast was brought under control. But for decades, this bloodthirsty worm has secretly crawled all over China, and its traces are everywhere from south to north.
April to October is the peak period for tick bites. 1 in 10 people bitten by ticks will become sick, and at least 60,000 people will be infected a year. In severe cases, they may even suddenly become paralyzed and die.
Such a situation that can be discovered in time like the news is relatively lucky. Because the blood-sucking method of ticks is concealed, many people are bitten without realizing it, so that if they unfortunately get sick, the best time for treatment is often delayed.
How to prevent ticks
Ticks can live in far more places than we think. This is no longer a kind of wilderness, the danger in the deep mountains and old forests, the taller grasses and shrubs downstairs in the community, the woods for weekend outings, and the dog who likes to drill through the bushes.
For prevention, we can do the following:
Spray your clothing with a pyrethrin-based mosquito repellent before going outdoors.
Reduce walking among taller grass and shrubs. Wear long trousers, and use high-top socks to tie the cuffs if necessary.
After returning from the outdoors, change clothes and inspect your body and clothing for hidden ticks, focusing on: underarms, around ears, umbilicus, back of knees, inner thighs, Waist, ankles, hair (with or without hair loss).
If you go out with your pet, and the pet likes to run into the grass and other places, check whether the pet has been bitten.
Don’t panic if you find you’ve been bitten at this point. Bugs can be removed with a simple operation that can be done at home, or to the emergency room if you are worried.
The standard removal procedure is:
Use tweezers to hold the tick as close to the skin as possible (maximum on the tick head);
Pull up slowly, requiring some force. Do not yank and twist the tick just because you can’t pull it temporarily, it may cause mouthparts to remain;
Clean the wound with alcohol, soapy water, and iodine;
Ticks can be received in a container or bag as a reference for health care workers should medical attention be needed. If not, soak the tick in alcohol and flush it down the drain (don’t crush it!).
Image credit: CDC Tick Removal
In general, the sooner a tick is removed, the lower the risk of infection.
But if you notice any of these, see your doctor:
Discomfort or persistent enlargement of the erythema at the bite;
The remaining mouthparts cannot be further removed;
Wound infection;
Feel the tick attached for more than 24 hours.
Ticks are not poisonous snakes. They are not fatal or sick if bitten. As long as we know enough about them and can protect ourselves and our families, there is nothing to be afraid of.
Planning
Planning: Deanna | Producer: Feidi, Eric
Illustration: see the label | Source of cover image: Dr. Lilac Design Team