Why You Shouldn’t Worry Excessively About Tick Bites

When someone notices a tick bite on their skin, its easy for them to panic. Ticks carry dangerous diseases, especially Lyme disease, which is reason enough for many to lose their cool. However, panic isn't always necessary when you're bitten by a tick. Though you should definitely get them killed if any are living in your yard, here are three reasons why you can keep your cool.

Most Tick Bites Are Painless

Thinking of being bitten by an insect likely makes your skin crawl, a feeling that's even worse with a tick. You'd anticipate a creature biting and burrowing into your skin would hurt. But that's actually not the case. Ticks use a pain killer when biting their prey that numbs their skin and eliminates the pain of their bite. So while tick bites might not hurt, they might be harder to spot.

Tick Bite Symptoms Aren't Always Problematic

People often hear about terrible tick bite reactions and assume that all bites end up that way. These symptoms often include a severe red rash, swollen lymph nodes, headache, weakness, muscle pain, fever, and worse. However, these reactions typically only occur in a person who is allergic to ticks, not in every person bitten by a tick.

Typically, a tick bite is nothing more than a small bump on the skin, one that, as mentioned above, doesn't even hurt. However, if you experience any of the above mentioned symptoms after being bitten by a tick, go to a doctor immediately. Thankfully, these kinds of allergies aren't common.

Lyme Disease Isn't That Common

Although pain and allergic reactions are typical concerns for someone when they are bitten by a tick bite, they are undoubtedly exponentially more worried about Lyme disease. This disease can be deadly if left untreated, which is why so many people panic when they are bitten by a tick. However, Lyme disease isn't actually as common as you'd expect.

For example, Lyme disease is really focused heavily in areas of the northeast and Midwest of the nation. Most of the country doesn't even have to worry about this disease. However, if you do, it's worth knowing that it takes 36-48 hours for the disease to spread from an infected tick into your blood stream. Most people are likely to notice a tick bite long before that.

As you can see, panic and fear isn't necessary anytime you or a family member gets bitten by a tick. While ticks are a serious pest that should be eliminated, the chances of serious reactions are slim. However, you should call a pest control professional if your yard suffers from excessive ticks.


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