What to Do About Tick Bites (for Parents)

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Medically reviewed by: Yamini Durani, MD

Primary Care Pediatrics at Nemours Children’s Health

Most tick bites are harmless and don’t need medical treatment. But some ticks (like the deer tick, wood tick, and others) can carry harmful germs that cause diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. The deer tick is tiny, no larger than a pencil point. Other ticks are larger and easier to find on the skin.

How Do I Remove a Tick?

It’s important to remove a tick as soon as possible. Follow these steps:

1. Use tweezers to grasp the tick firmly at its head or mouth, next to the skin. Use a magnifying glass, if you have one, to see the tick clearly.
2. Pull firmly and steadily until the tick lets go of the skin. Do not twist the tick or rock it from side to side. Parts of the tick might stay in the skin, but eventually will come out on their own.
3. Wash your hands and the site of the bite with soap and water.
4. Swab the bite site with alcohol to disinfect the skin.

Note: Never use petroleum jelly or a hot match to kill and remove a tick. These methods don’t get the tick off the skin, and can make it burrow deeper and release more saliva (which makes it more likely to pass a disease).

What Are the Signs of Tick-Related Diseases?

Watch out for:

• a red bump ringed by an expanding red rash, which looks like a bull’s-eye (Lyme disease)
• red dots on the ankles and wrists (Rocky Mountain spotted fever)
• flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, tiredness, vomiting, and muscle and joint aches

When Should I Call the Doctor?

Call your doctor if:

• Your child has had a tick bite, especially if the tick might have been on the skin for more than 24 hours. Sometimes, doctors prescribe a preventive dose of antibiotics for kids at high risk for Lyme disease.
• Part of the tick remains in the skin.
• A rash of any kind develops (especially a red-ringed bull’s-eye rash or red dots on wrists and ankles).
• The bite area looks infected (increasing warmth, swelling, pain, or oozing pus).
• Your child gets symptoms like a fever, headache, tiredness, stiff neck or back, joint swelling, or muscle or joint aches.
• Your child has facial paralysis (can’t move areas of the face).

How Can I Protect My Kids From Ticks?

To help prevent tick bites:

• After kids play outside, check their skin and hair — especially the scalp, behind the ears, around the neck, in the eyebrows and eyelashes, and under the arms.
• When playing in wooded areas, kids should wear long-sleeved shirts and pants and tuck pant legs into their socks.
• Use an insect repellent with at least 10% to 30% DEET for protection against bites and stings in kids older than 2 years. Always carefully follow the label directions for applying.
• Clothes also can be treated with a specific insecticide (like permethrin) to help prevent bites.
• Wash kids’ skin with soap and water when they come back inside. If you’ve been in an area with ticks, wash all clothes in hot water and tumble dry on high heat before they’re worn again.
• Avoid tick-infested areas.

Medically reviewed by: Yamini Durani, MD

Date reviewed: June 2023

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Tick bites: Symptoms and treatment

Just thinking about ticks can make your skin crawl. But if you enjoy hiking, hunting, time at the cabin or other shady, damp environments, encounters with ticks can be part of the package.

We’d all prefer to avoid tick bites, but if you find yourself dealing with one, there’s no need to worry – they’re often harmless. We’ll explain how to identify tick bite symptoms, how to remove a tick at home and when you should see a doctor for treatment.

What is a tick exactly?

Ticks are tiny bugs that have eight legs and are related to spiders and mites. They feed off human and animal blood to survive. Ticks are often found in damp, cool, wooded areas during the spring through mid-summer, then again in the fall. But in some areas, they can be active during other seasons as well.

Types of ticks in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest

In Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, there are about a dozen different types of ticks. The three types of ticks that people come across most often are the blacklegged tick (deer tick), the American dog tick (wood tick), and the lone star tick.

What does a tick look like?

Ticks can vary in appearance depending on the type of tick, its life stage and sex. Ticks can be grayish-white, brown, black, reddish-brown or yellowish in color. They can be as small as a grain of sand in the larvae stage to the size of a pencil eraser when fully grown.

When is tick season in Minnesota?

In Minnesota, ticks usually start to emerge after the snow melts, reaching peak activity during the month of May. They’re typically active throughout June.

As temperatures climb, tick activity declines until the fall, usually around the end of September through October. Tick season ends when temperatures drop below freezing or snow covers the ground.

Tick bite symptoms

Many people won’t experience any symptoms from a tick bite, but tick bites can cause:

• Small hard bumps or sores, redness or swelling
• Allergic reactions that can range from mild (local swelling and inflammation at the site of the bite) to severe (anaphylaxis)
• Flu-like symptoms, joint pain or a rash, which can also be symptoms of a tick-borne illness

What does a tick bite feel like?

Most likely, you won’t feel a tick bite because they don’t usually hurt. Ticks are often very small, so you might not see it until it’s been on you a few days and has grown larger. That’s why it’s important to check yourself when you’ve been in places where ticks live.

What does a tick bite look like?

A small bump may appear at the site of the tick bite. But if it develops into a rash, that may indicate illness. A rash usually appears 3-14 days after the tick bite but it can look different depending on the type of tick. Watch for small reddish or purplish spots, or expanded rashes that look like a bullseye.

Where to look for tick bites

If you or your children have been hiking, making mud pies or doing other activities in areas where ticks are common, it’s important to do a quick body check and run your fingers gently over your skin and hair. Ticks are often found behind the knees, between fingers and toes, and on underarms. It’s a good idea to check your belly button, neck, hairline, top of your head, and in and behind your ears, too.

Symptoms of tick-borne diseases

If you’re having symptoms after a tick bite, it could be an indication that something more is going on. After you remove a tick, watch for symptoms of tick-borne illnesses which usually begin 3-30 days after the tick bite. They include:

• A red, expanding rash at the site of the tick bite or on other parts of the body.
• Flu-like symptoms, including fever, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint aches.

It’s important to see your doctor if you develop these symptoms. Even if you’ve had Lyme disease in the past, you can still contract the infection again and may need treatment for a second infection.

Tick diseases

While most ticks don’t carry disease, it’s important to be aware of common tick illnesses, including:

• Lyme disease is the most common tick illness in the United States. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and a skin rash that resembles a bullseye.
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever is often transmitted by dog or wood ticks. Symptoms include fever, headache and a rash. If not treated early with the right antibiotic, this tick disease can be deadly.
• Tularemia is a tick disease that can infect humans and animals. Symptoms can vary depending on how someone becomes infected. This illness can be life threatening if not treated early with antibiotics.
• Ehrlichiosis is spread by lone star ticks. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and possibly an upset stomach.
• Babesiosis is caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells and are spread by certain ticks. Many people who are infected don’t experience symptoms, but there are effective treatment options for those who do.
• Alpha-gal syndrome, a condition often caused by a lone star tick bite, is a type of food allergy to red meat and other products made from mammals.

How to remove a tick

The longer a tick is on your skin, the more likely you are to experience symptoms or contract a tick illness. If you find a tick embedded on yourself or a family member, remove it as soon as possible following these steps:

• Do not paint the tick with nail polish or other substances before trying to remove it.
• Use tweezers to grasp the tick against the skin surface.
• Pull with a constant steady pressure until the tick is removed.
• Clean the skin with alcohol or soap and water after the tick is removed.
• Call your doctor or clinician after you remove the tick if you think it was embedded for more than 24 hours. They may want to prescribe a single dose of an antibiotic to help prevent infection.
• Keep the tick in a small plastic bag in case you need to show it to your doctor.

Tick bite treatment

Most tick bites don’t require a doctor’s visit. In fact, you can treat a lot of tick bites right at home. To relieve itching, redness, swelling and pain you can:

• Take an oatmeal bath
• Put ice or a cold pack on the bite for 15-20 minutes once an hour until the swelling and pain subside
• Try over-the-counter medicines

When to worry about a tick bite

Generally, tick bites are not a cause for concern, but you should reach out to a doctor if:

• You are unable to remove the tick completely
• A rash develops or you think the bite site is infected
• You develop flu-like symptoms, including fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, or a headache

There are several options if you need care for a tick bite:

Call one of our care lines for advice

When HealthPartners patients or members need advice from a professional, we make it easy to talk to a nurse 24/7 about all sorts of health questions, including tick bite symptoms and treatment. Call 612-339-3663 or 800-551-0859 to speak with one of our knowledgeable nurses.

Get treatment and care virtually

Make a video visit appointment to meet with your preferred primary care doctor or pediatrician. Or start a Virtuwell visit for 24/7 treatment without an appointment. Just answer a few questions, and you’ll get your diagnosis and treatment plan from a board-certified nurse practitioner for $59 or less, depending on your insurance.

Visit a clinic

If extra care or examination is needed, you can always make an appointment with your primary care doctor or your child’s pediatrician.

Small Tick – Big Trouble

Tick bites are to be expected in warm, non-rainy weather. Favorite places are ravines, edges and paths overgrown with grass. The tick does not fall on a person or animal from above. During the bite, the tick injects a special anesthetic substance, so the attack occurs completely unnoticed. For bites choose hidden clothes and tender places. Favorite places of suction are elbows, scalp, legs and arms, groin.

Bloodsucking mites appear in the middle of spring, their number increases rapidly and by May becomes the maximum, remaining until the very beginning of July. After which they die out, but a small number can be observed until the beginning of autumn.

One of the most serious consequences is contracting a disease:

1. Viral encephalitis is a disease that affects the nervous system. In severe cases, the patient develops paralysis and death occurs.

You can become infected both by a tick bite and by drinking unboiled milk of cows or goats infected with encephalitis.

Symptoms appear a week or two after being bitten by a tick: weakness of the arms and legs, impaired sensitivity of the skin of the upper body, temperature up to 39- 40 degrees, severe headache, vomiting, redness of the skin of the upper body and mucous membranes.

2. Tick-borne borreliosis or Lyme disease – the disease occurs in a chronic form, borreliosis can stay in the body for decades.

Symptoms appear 2 to 30 days after the bite. A large bright scarlet spot appears at the site of the introduction of the virus. After 20-30 days, the spot disappears completely, and after 4-6 weeks, symptoms of damage to the nervous and other systems appear. It is necessary to treat this disease in a hospital, because if the pathogen is not destroyed, a chronic form develops, resulting in disability.

3. Relapsing tick-borne typhus – a blister appears at the site of the bite, the victim suddenly starts to shiver, his head hurts, he is very hot, he is lethargic, his limbs aches, the temperature is up to 39 – 40 degrees, he feels sick. The body becomes covered with a rash, the liver and spleen increase in size, yellowing of the sclera and skin can be observed. Sometimes there are symptoms of involvement in the process of the heart, respiratory organs. The acute period lasts 2-6 days, then the temperature returns to normal.

The patient’s condition is improving. But after a few days, the second attack begins. Attacks can be from four to twelve. Subsequent attacks are usually milder than the first. The disease is diagnosed with a blood test.

Inpatient treatment. If a person was healthy and not exhausted before infection, then he has every chance of fully recovering.

4. Q fever

Ticks are one of the carriers of pathogens. Possible infection from the patient through sputum or breast milk.

Symptoms may appear a few days or a month after the tick bite. Usually the onset of the disease is rapid: aches all over the body, headache, cough, aversion to food, redness of the face, an increase in body temperature up to 38 – 40 degrees.

In many cases, inflammation of the lungs is detected.

Q fever is treated only in the hospital. The disease responds well to medical treatment. A cured person is not re-infected.

The probability of getting infected when bitten by a tick is the higher, the longer the insect was in the sucking state. Therefore, the tick should be removed as soon as possible.

It is best to use tweezers for removal, the most convenient is a surgical clip. The grip should be carried out as close to the head as possible. Firmly grabbing the insect, you need to start twisting it and gently pulling it towards you. No need to sharply pull the insect towards you – the proboscis can come off.

You can remove the insect with a normal thread. To do this, tie a knot between the head of the tick and the body. It turns out that the knot is tightened at the base of the proboscis. You need to pull the thread very carefully and slowly. Otherwise, the insect will tear.

It is very important not to squeeze the body of the insect, as this may force the contents of the tick, along with pathogens, into the wound.

If, after removing the tick, a small black dot remains at the suction site, this means that the head has come off and must be removed. To do this, the affected area is treated with alcohol and the wound is cleaned with a disinfected needle. After removing the head, you need to lubricate the wound with alcohol or iodine.

Do not drip oil or alcohol on the tick, as the tick will either suffocate and remain in the wound, or it will get scared and begin to secrete more saliva and, along with it, pathogens.

To remove an insect from the ear, lay the victim, turn his head on his side and pour a small amount of slightly warm water into the ear where the insect is located. Lie down for about a minute, then turn your head to the other side and wait until the water flows out and the insect comes out with it. Sometimes this is not enough, but in such cases, medical assistance is no longer enough.

After removing the insect, place it in a glass bottle and throw in a small piece of cotton wool slightly soaked in water. Close the bottle tightly and keep it in a cold place until poisoning in the hospital. In order for the analysis to succeed, the insect must be delivered to the laboratory alive.

If the insect itself is infected, it is not necessary that the bite necessarily led to the infection of a person. The answer will be given only by a laboratory study of the insect itself or the blood of the victim. It takes at least a week for the infection to develop in the body. Therefore, usually the analysis is prescribed 10 days after the bite.

Bite prophylaxis is mandatory if a person is not vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis, as well as in cases where there is a high probability of infection (the tick is a carrier of the virus, several ticks were found at once).

It is best if the necessary drugs are administered within 24 hours of the bite. If more than four days have passed, prevention is useless.

Immunoglobulin or antiviral drugs are used to prevent tick-borne encephalitis.

Immunoglobulin is used only on prescription.

The antiviral agents jodantipyrin are used for patients over 14 years of age and anaferon for babies. In the event that none of these drugs is available, you can use any antiviral agent sold in a pharmacy (arbidol, cycloferon, rimantadine).

Vaccination is an effective way to prevent infection. The effectiveness of the vaccine is 95%.

Primary vaccination course is carried out at intervals of 1-3 months and consists of two vaccinations. Another one is needed next year. Then, to maintain immunity, the vaccine is administered once every three years.

To avoid being bitten by a tick, you should dress appropriately when going to tick habitats. Clothing should be with long sleeves, trousers, you also need to put something on your head, preferably a hood. Thermal underwear can be very convenient, as it fits perfectly to the body and does not allow the insect to crawl into secluded places.

Long socks or stockings are required and the legs must be tucked into boots or chosen with cuffs. It is desirable that the collar be buttoned tightly enough.

Another effective remedy for ticks is repellents. They are sold in many stores and pharmacies.

Repellent should be applied to the places where the tick gets in the first place – trousers, shoes and legs to the thigh. Tick ​​repellents are quite toxic, so it is advisable to avoid getting them on open areas of the body.

To protect children, preparations with a reduced content of repellent have been developed – these are Ftalar and Efkalat creams, Pihtal and Evital colognes, Kamarant. For children from 3 years old, the use of Off-Children’s and Biban-Gel creams is recommended.

Tsifox is used to treat the territory from ticks.

And the third remedy is vigilance. Periodically, you should examine each other for preventive purposes.

If a tick is found, it should not be crushed, because through microcracks on the hands one can become infected with encephalitis.

Tick bite insurance provides a range of medical services:

The victim will be admitted to a special medical facility for seroprophylaxis.

The tick will be removed.

Within two to three days after the bite, the victim will receive a prophylactic course of immunoglobulin.

Insurance can be individual or family insurance (one insurance policy is issued for all households at once).

The insurance contract must have an appendix: a list of all medical institutions where you can get insurance assistance.

What to do if a child is bitten by a tick

We vaccinate children and adults against tick-borne encephalitis! Now the Fantasy Clinic has the Tick-E-VAK vaccine available. It is suitable for children from 1 year old and adults. Vaccination course – 2 doses.

What to do if bitten by a tick? This and other important questions are answered by Svetlana Mukhortova, pediatrician, specialist in infectious diseases in children.

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