Tick bites are common and usually harmless, but occasionally may cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Lyme disease. It usually takes about 24 hours of tick attachment to a "host" for disease to be transmitted.
The symptoms can begin as early as a few days after a bite or can take as long as two weeks before appearing.
Symptoms include:
• headache
• chills
• fever
• fatigue
• rash with a “bull’s eye” appearance
If bitten:
• Carefully remove the tick using blunt tweezers. Grasp the tick close to the skin and pull upward with a steady pressure. Do not "jerk" the tick out. Check to see that the entire tick has been removed.
• Do not squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick.
• Clean the bite area with warm, soapy water. You can also apply an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment.
• Mark the date of the bite on a calendar. If symptoms develop, contact your doctor immediately.
• If any mouth parts of the tick remain in the skin, these should be left alone; they will fall out on their own.
Call NC Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or chat from this site for questions about a tick bite or for more information.
