What is the best way to remove a tick?

1. Remove the tick as quickly as possible.
2. Grasp the tick with the tweezers directly on the skin and at a right angle to the skin surface.
3. With two fingers on your other hand, stretch the skin surrounding the tick.
4. The actual removal of the tick occurs through a) moving the skin around the tick with your fingers and b) lightly pulling the tick in an upward motion with the tweezers.
5. Avoid unnecessary manipulation like, for instance, twisting the tick with the tweezers or smearing it with oil.
6. The body of the tick should not be squeezed as the infectious secretion can thereby enter the bloodstream.
7. Once you are sure that the tick has been removed, it should be squeezed with the tweezers so that it cannot attach itself to another place on the skin.
8. If possible, disinfect the puncture site and tweezers.
9. The mouth of the tick that remains in the skin will be rejected in a few days time.
10. Make a note of the date of the bite and the affected part of the body. Keep an eye on the puncture site during the next few days. A moon-shaped discolouration of the skin, which can be reddish, whitish or yellowish, indicates that the area has become infected, and a doctor should be consulted.

Background information

Ticks can carry bacterial and viral infections. Viral infections (like, for instance, TBE) are passed on immediately after the tick bites; the more common bacterial infections (borreliosis), on the other hand, occur first when the tick has sucked itself full. Before the tick detaches itself, it releases a portion of its infectious stomach content into the blood. That usually occurs 1-3 days after the bite. The best protection against a bacterial infection is the rapid detection and removal of the tick. The risk of a viral infection exists in areas where ticks carry such viruses. A vaccination is the best protection in this case. For further information, speak with your doctor or search for information online about areas where there is an increased risk of tick-related infections.