Ticks appear in late March, disappear in October with the onset of persistent cooling. Dwell in grass, lower branches of shrubs. The location of the victim is determined by smell. They crawl onto grass clothes or fall from bushes. It assimilates for several minutes, chooses the most favorable place, sticks on. One of the most asked questions is whether the tick itself can fall off in humans.
How does a tick bite and where
The pest inspects for some time, looking for a favorable place for a bite. This process takes approximately half an hour. It sticks in places where the skin is thin, blood vessels are closer to the surface.
- armpits;
- groin;
- stomach;
- lower back;
- chest;
- behind the ears;
- neck;
- scalp.
On a note!
Tick bite painless in itself. The head penetrates under the skin, the abdomen remains outside. A hungry tick no larger than 3 mm in size, therefore, often goes unnoticed. During nutrition, the abdomen increases in size to 10 mm in diameter or more.
Is it possible not to notice a tick bite
The arachnid bites with powerful jaws, but since they are tiny, the bite itself is not felt. The head quickly penetrates under the skin, the parasite slowly sucks blood. Originally tick size so small that even with a casual touch, you may not notice its existence.
After some time, the abdomen grows, becomes convex, oval, sticks out on the surface of the skin, resembles a wart, papilloma. If the parasite sticks to the back of the head, back, groin, you may not notice it.
The body reacts to a tick bite differently. Depends on the sensitivity of the skin, the strength of the immune system, a tendency to allergies. At the site of the bite appears:
- swelling;
- slight redness;
- small itching;
- in the center at the site of suction of the parasite is a dark spot with clotted blood.
The epidermis is restored on its own within a few days. With this reaction of the body, you can not notice the bite, do not know about its existence. In the presence of allergies, the symptoms are more vivid:
- swelling;
- large-scale redness;
- inflammation;
- persistent itching;
- additional rash.
Manifestations of allergies cannot be overlooked, but one may not know the reason if the parasite is no longer at the scene of the "crime".
How long does the tick stay on the body
Females attack males, males. More gluttonous females, because they need blood to form new offspring. The male can bite and fall away in minutes. A few milliliters of blood are enough for its saturation. Further stay on the body is advisable only if the female remains there. In other situations, the male imperceptibly unhooks, climbs out.
On a note!
The female can also bite and fall away, but this takes more time. To saturate females, up to 20 ml of blood is required. The parasite replenishes these reserves gradually. The time spent on the human body depends on the initial degree of saturation. If the female was not too hungry, she sucks in for only a few minutes. In other cases, it lasts up to 3 days.
When the tick falls off itself, it means that it has completely quenched thirst, further stay on the body loses its meaning. With an unsuccessful attempt, the parasite bites a second time, proceeds to a meal.
Can a tick bite and crawl away
This situation happens if the arachnid sticks to the skin, goes unnoticed until it is completely saturated. The pest neatly stretches its head, falls away. Under natural conditions, the female lays eggs on the surface of the soil. At home, if this happens, the offspring will not be able to be born. The likelihood that the tick may bite again and leave remains minimal.
When the tick was pumped and fell off, redness, a slight swelling, and slight itching remain at the bite site. The skin is restored within a few days. In the presence of an allergic reaction, special treatment is required - the use of local, systemic antihistamines, anti-allergic drugs. If the tick was infected, after 14-60 days, the manifestations of the disease appear.
The consequences of bites from infected ticks
Even if the tick itself could get out, went unnoticed, the virus, when it enters the bloodstream, begins to develop and progress. The first symptoms appear within 1-2 months. Depends on the strength of the immune system, the type of disease. The infection is transmitted through saliva, blood.
- Tick-borne encephalitis. The virus enters the human body through the blood. If an infected creature becomes saturated, disappears, infection will not occur. If he is accidentally injured, incorrectly removed, his blood enters the wound, the spread of the virus begins. It affects the spinal cord, brain, and nervous system. It leads to disability, paralysis, madness, death.
- Lyme Disease or borreliosis. Infection is transmitted through saliva. It affects the central nervous system, heart, joints. In case of untimely treatment, the presence of complications leads to disability, death.
- Ehrlichiosis. A less common disease. The virus leads to respiratory, renal failure.
Other diseases transmitted through a tick bite - typhoid, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, tularemiahemorrhagic fever.
Important!
The first signs of the disease resemble flu. Fever, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, weakness, headache, fever, etc. The condition normalizes after 5-7 days, but recovery does not occur. Within a month, the disease again makes itself felt, but with renewed vigor, other symptoms. Treatment is carried out in a hospital.
Means of Prevention
You can prevent a tick bite by observing elementary rules of behavior:
- Wear tight clothes with cuffs, elastic bands, socks, hats. If the pest does not reach the skin, it falls from the clothes back to the ground, does not bite.
- To use tick remedies. Use aerosols and sprays – Gardex, Taiga, Raptor, Raid, Clean House, etc. The action lasts a maximum of 2 hours, then you need to repeat the processing of clothes.
- Inspect the body every 2 hours. This will help remove parasites that have not yet sucked.
- Upon returning home, throw all things in the wash, take a shower or bath. Inspect the body again, especially in places of possible suction of ticks.
Main preventive measure against encephalitis, borelliosis, is vaccination. After parasite recovery recommended send a tick for research to the lab. If a virus is detected, drugs are administered to a person to prevent the progression of the disease.