Health Tip: Removing a Tick

2007/04/26

How to do it safely

Ticks, often found in heavily wooded areas, can attach themselves to a person's skin or clothing. Ticks can carry Lyme disease and other germs. Always check your child after outdoor play in a wooded area.

If you see a tick on you or your child, follow these suggestions.

• Using a pair of tweezers, firmly grab the tick near its head or mouth, which will be right next to the skin.
• Pull firmly and steadily until the tick releases its grip, and immediately clean the bite site with alcohol.
• As soon as possible, call your doctor, who may want you to keep the tick and send it out to a lab for analysis.
• Never attempt to extract the tick using a lighted match or petroleum