Ah! How pleasant it is to walk barefoot through a garden. But be careful, you can run the risk of being bitten by a tick. Present in forests, meadows, private gardens and even greenery in urban areas, these mites parasites must be carefully detected. In question ? Some can be infected and transmit diseases to you, as the regional health agency of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARS) warns on its site. Despite all the recommendations to protect yourself from ticks, have you spotted one on your body or that of a loved one? Not sure what to do with it once you’ve removed it? Should it be thrown in the trash? In the toilets? Or release her? We explain everything to you.
Remove the tick as soon as possible
“The more time passes, the greater the chance of possible contamination”, the ARS website recalls. Ticks feed on their “hosts” and can transmit diseases from one person to another, in particular Lyme disease (or borreliosis). Therefore, every second is precious to prevent the spread of a possible disease and its symptoms, ranging from red spots on the skin to headaches and damage to the nervous system or joints.
Use a tick remover
The ARS reminds that there are tick tapes, which are sold in pharmacies. This will allow you to safely get rid of the insect.
Do not use your fingers or tweezers as this can “promote the passage of tick saliva containing infectious agents” or leave his head. Also forget about alcohol, ether, oil, varnish and do not burn the tick with a lighter.
Send the check mark to a research program
Before treating the tick, you can disinfect the bitten area and watch over the next few weeks so that you don’t react to the bite. In this case, you should make an appointment with your doctor.
As for the tick, you can send it to the laboratory “Tous Chercheurs” of Nancy in Champenoux to contribute to the participatory research program CiTIQUE (of citizens, of ticks):
- via the application “TIC signalling” (free),
- through the CiTIQUE website,
- by post: you will find all the information via this link.
Led by INRA, the ARBRE Laboratory of Excellence, the Permanent Center for Environmental Initiatives (CPIE) Nancy Champenoux, the University of Lorraine and ANSES, this program enables “to advance scientific research in the field of tick ecology and the prevention of the risk of bites”, we can read on the ARS website.
If you want to send multiple ticks, please do so separately according to the day and the individuals bitten so as not to confuse them and falsify the research work.
And in order not to have to go through this, during your outings in the forest or in nature, do not forget to protect yourself well by wearing long clothes and closed shoes and by staying on the marked trails. More information can be found on the Health Insurance website.