You can not just pull it out: immunologist explains how to remove a tick properly

As the time for walks in forests and parks approaches, we want to be outdoors more and more. This increases the likelihood of picking up a tick. These arthropods carry a variety of diseases, from borreliosis to encephalitis.

Andrii Volianskyi, an immunologist of the highest category, Doctor of Medical Sciences, told us how to properly remove a tick in an exclusive interview with OBOZ.UA. The doctor has 30 years of experience, is a national expert practitioner in the field of immunology, a specialist in the prevention of infectious diseases, and the author of many scientific articles and papers.

According to him, if you have already found a tick on yourself, you need to remove it. It is advisable to do this so that the head does not remain in the skin. That is, it cannot be simply pulled out.

The doctor also added that there are several ways to remove it: either to lubricate it with oil so that the spiracles are closed and then it can suck itself off, or you can twist it out.

"The main question is what happens next because the tick could have already infected a person. There are two diseases that are dangerous and are transmitted by these ticks: Lyme disease or borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis. Tick-borne encephalitis is very dangerous, but fortunately, it is almost absent in Ukraine. It can be found only in Crimea and western Ukraine," the doctor said.

He also added that the most likely place to pick up ticks is in the forests.

"There are a lot of ticks now, more and more every year. Therefore, it can be ponds or even a garden," the expert summarized.

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