Ticks: protection and treatment

Ticks can transmit serious diseases such as Lyme disease or meningitis and, unlike many believe, ticks do not live in trees and fall down, but are found on the edges of forests and paths, in tall grasses and ferns as well as in bushes. As soon as you get close enough, they bite into the skin with their jaw claws and anchor their sting in the wound. So what should you do?

Preventive tick protection

  • Closed shoes and body-covering, thight clothes are a protection against ticks. It’s best to pull the socks over your pants.
  • Spray clothes with an insect repellent (e.g. with kik TEXTILE Anti-insect).
  • Cover all parts of the body extensively with a tick repellent (e.g. kik NATURE Anti-tick).
  • Only walk in the middle of paths. Avoid bushes, high gras and brush-wood.
  • Systematically search your body for ticks after a stay outdoors. Pay particular attention to the hollow of the knees, the pubic region, the navel, the armpits, the shoulders, the neck and behind the ears (for children also the head).

Treatment after a tick bite

The ticks are to be remove as quick as easrly as they can transmit diseases. The most important ones are the pathogens of lyme disease (bacteria) and tick-borne encephalitis (viruses).

  • Use a thin pair of tweezers (e.g. with kik AFTER BITE tick tweezer) to grab the tick directly over the skin and remove it with continuous pull. Do not crush the tick!
  • Manipulations such as turning, squeezing or applying of oil should be avoided and may even be harmful.
  • Disinfect the puncture and hands immediately. Remaining mouthparts in the skin are usually repelled by the body itself within a few days. Should this not happen or should the puncture become inflamed, consult a doctor.
  • Note the date of the tick bite and the affected area of the body, for any future analyses.
  • The removed ticks should not be thrown away, especially if you suspect an infection. The doctor can have the tick examined, if necessary. It can also provide information about pathogens after the removal.