Faced with ticks during the summer, it is sometimes difficult to remain calm for nature and garden lovers. Their bites are feared because they can transmit diseases. Before being bitten, certain reflexes make it possible to avoid ticks. To protect the whole family from tick bites, here are our 7 anti-tick safety tips!
Areas at risk for ticks are forests, meadows and pastures, and gardens. Whether it's for a hike, a simple walk in the grass or for gardening, choose covering clothes and wear closed shoes and high socks if possible. Avoid shorts and short pants:the legs are within reach of ticks which are on the lookout on blades of grass, ferns and brush. Pants that cover the entire leg are an effective bulwark.
An anti-tick tip consists of pulling the socks up over the pants to prevent ticks from entering under the pants from below. Some will prefer to wear gaiters. If possible, wear long-sleeved tops. You can also cover your neck and take care to tie up your hair if it is long. A hat is additional protection, especially for small children.
The light colors clothes make it easier to spot ticks on the fabric. By staying vigilant, you can get rid of them before they even bite you!
During your walks in the forests and along the meadows and pastures, stay on the paths as much as possible, avoiding tall grass, ferns and brush. Ticks wait for the passage of animals on plants!
17 to 47% of tick bites are linked to visiting a private or public garden (French public health data). If you have a garden, adopt the right reflexes to avoid the proliferation of ticks:
To protect your uncovered skin, there are synthetic repellents effective. The substances recommended by the High Authority for Health (HAS) are:
A repellent of natural origin is also recommended:
You can also impregnate fabrics with clothing repellent based on permethrin. This completes the protection of exposed areas of the skin. The effectiveness lasts several weeks:these products are resistant to washing clothes even in the washing machine!
Always ask your pharmacist for advice so that these repellents are suitable for the whole family. Some formulations are suitable for children and pregnant women.
After an activity in nature, thoroughly examine your entire body. This examination must be carried out as soon as possible to get rid of ticks as soon as possible! This will reduce the risk of transmitting infectious agents. The careful examination is:
During this thorough examination, pay particular attention to the areas most appreciated by ticks:
Don't forget to inspect your children well. You can make them aware of ticks by showing them the brochure "Precautionary advice, anti-tick tactics" from Public Health France.
Mistakes not to make
To remove a tick, never use a product to "suffocate" or "put it to sleep" such as alcohol, ether, vegetable oils or essential oils. Also, do not attempt to disinfect the skin while the tick is in place. These methods result in regurgitation of the tick to detach. The risk of disease transmission then increases sharply! By trying to remove the tick with your fingernails, you risk leaving the rostrum (head) in your skin.
The recommended tick remover method
Using a tick puller is the most suitable method for removing a tick from the skin. Attention, the tick remover has the shape of a crowbar but it is not used in the same way:a leverage effect would leave the rostrum of the tick in the skin. Gently insert the hook under the tick closest to the skin, then twist gently until the tick unhooks.
In the absence of a tick puller, another less suitable method is to use tweezers, grab the tick as close as possible to the skin, and pull until it detaches. For more information, see the Lyme disease and prevention of tick bites brochure from Public Health France.
Good reflexes after removing the tick
Immediately after removing the tick, kill it without grabbing it with your bare hands (with a handkerchief for example), throw it in the trash in a handkerchief and disinfect your skin with an antiseptic . Check that the rostrum (head) of the tick has not remained in the skin. If this is the case, consult your doctor who will make a small incision to remove everything.
Don't forget to take your tick remover and an antiseptic with you during activities in nature to be as reactive as possible in the event of a tick bite!
In the weeks that follow, watch for symptoms that might suggest Lyme disease such as the onset:
In this case, consult your doctor as soon as possible, who will assess the symptoms and can prescribe an appropriate antibiotic treatment.
Ticks feed on the blood of animals, especially mammals. To protect your companions, anti-tick treatments exist for dogs and cats. There are solutions in the form of pipettes (spot-on) to distribute on the back of the animal or sprays to spray on the hair, bottles of powder, collars or tablets to swallow.
Ask your veterinarian or pharmacist for advice. Be careful, some molecules available on the market only treat flea infestations and are not effective on ticks!
Regular treatment of your pet allows:
Adopt this last anti-tick reflex:inspect your pet regularly to remove ticks as soon as possible after a walk in the grass.
