Between 2017 and 2023, CiTique, the body recording tick bites, recorded more than 72,000, including 61,000 on humans. So how to prevent it? The Midi Dispatch gives you the 4 tips to avoid them.
Every summer they come back. Tick bites are highly likely during your walks in the forest or during outdoor sports activities. These little beasts, from the mite family, can sometimes transmit Lyme disease, which leads to joint, neurological or skin disorders. CiTique, the organization that records tick bites, recorded between 2017 and 2023 more than 72,000 tick bites, including 61,000 on humans.
How to avoid them? The Midi Dispatch gives you 5 good tips.
Dress accordingly
During your walks in the forest or in your garden, the tick is ready to cling to your skin. Before going out, be sure to dress appropriately:
- Wear long, light-colored clothing, which makes ticks more visible when they cling.
- Wear closed shoes
- Tuck your top inside your pants, and your pants inside your socks. You will leave fewer opportunities for ticks to infiltrate.
- For the exposed parts of your body, you can use an anti-mosquito spray, while respecting the mode of use.
Walk on the paths provided for walks
Ticks live in forests, wooded areas and tall grass, and can survive up to 2000 meters above sea level. During your walks, be sure to walk on cleared paths so that these little beasts do not cling to you.
Wash and inspect the body
Back home after an outdoor activity, take a shower within two hours, it is first a good way to eliminate a tick present on you.
The most important part remains the inspection of the body. Ticks take a while to bite, so they find the perfect place to do so. In both adults and children, ticks particularly like the following areas: armpits, shoulders, neck, hairline, elbow crease, navel, lumbar region, hollow of the knee, inner thighs, pubic region. Use a mirror for parts of the body that are not visible.
Inspect your animals and equipment
Ticks can sometimes stick to your backpacks, boots, coat, etc. You can put your clothes in the washing machine to kill all traces of these dust mites.
Your pets can also carry ticks or be bitten by them. Also check them in every corner so as not to have any unpleasant surprises.
Remove a tick using appropriate materials
If you ever get bitten, don’t panic, just gently remove it. The bacterium that transmits Lyme disease takes approximately 12 to 24 hours before contaminating the body.
To remove a tick, all you need is a tick remover, which can be found in pharmacies. When gently removing the tick, be careful not to forget the head of the mite, which can sometimes remain. Disinfect after removing the tick.
If you are bitten, check the wound regularly within 30 days. One of the first symptoms of Lyme disease is the expansion of a red patch around the bite. Contact your doctor in case of plaques.