May and June are the peak seasons for tick activity. These types of people should be careful about being bitten!

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May and June are the peak months for tick activity. As the temperature rises, ticks also enter their active reproductive period. Provincial and municipal disease control centers have also issued reminders that tick bites have occurred frequently in recent years, and citizens should be especially vigilant against tick "attacks" when going out for fun.

What kind of creature is a tick?

According to China.com, ticks are commonly known as wall mites, grass creepers, and dog beans. They are insects that live on the surface of livestock, rodents and other animals. They are also the vectors and hosts of some zoonotic diseases. Ticks themselves are not very pathogenic, but they carry a variety of viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. Ticks are more active in summer, enter the peak period of activity in spring and autumn, and are basically inactive in winter. Ticks are most likely to be seen on cattle and dogs, and they mainly suck the blood of animals. Before sucking blood, ticks are about the size of sesame seeds and mung beans, and their size continues to increase as they suck blood. When ticks suck blood, their heads will drill into the skin of the bitten person, and the ticks' saliva will secrete anesthetic substances, making it difficult for people to detect.

Once bitten by a tick, people may get Lyme disease

Lyme disease is a tick-borne spirochete infection, with damage to the nervous system as the main clinical manifestation. After a person is infected with Lyme disease, migratory erythema, burning and itching sensations will appear in the early stage, and flu-like symptoms may also appear, such as fever, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, etc. Then it will enter the disseminated infection stage, and the human body will have symptoms of multi-system damage, such as meningitis, facial neuritis, radiculitis, peripheral neuritis, and cardiovascular system diseases such as atrioventricular conduction block and pericarditis. In the late stage, the most common manifestation is arthritis, such as knee arthritis.

In spring and summer, these types of people should be careful of being bitten by ticks

1. When citizens go out for an outing, they must tie their collars and cuffs tightly. It is best to apply mosquito repellent on exposed skin and avoid sitting or lying in the grass for a long time. Take a shower and change clothes in time when returning from going out.

2. After walking your dog on the community lawn or taking your pet outdoors, you must check your pet because ticks like to live on pets. To avoid bringing ticks home, try not to let children have close contact with pets.

3. People engaged in weeding, forestry work, vegetable farmers, and livestock breeders should pay special attention, take personal protection measures, and try to wear long-sleeved clothes.

Do not pull hard after being bitten by a tick

1. Once bitten by a tick, never pull it out directly or crush it, because the tick has barbs on its head. If not handled properly, the tick will not only drill deeper into your body, but it will also easily break off, causing the venom to penetrate into your body.

2. You can apply alcohol on the tick, or use cigarette butts or incense sticks to gently burn the area where the tick is outside, so that it will slowly move out on its own; after removing it, use iodine or alcohol for local disinfection, and observe the tick's physical condition at any time.

3. If you are bitten by a tick, it is recommended to go to the hospital immediately to check whether you are infected. If you have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, and general discomfort, you should pay close attention to it.

Comprehensive sources: Science Popularization China, People's Daily Science Popularization