What should be done if a person was bitten by a tick and it was removed at home? - briefly
Clean the bite area with soap and water, apply an antiseptic, and keep it covered with a sterile dressing. Monitor for fever, rash, or flu‑like symptoms for up to 30 days and seek medical attention immediately if any develop.
What should be done if a person was bitten by a tick and it was removed at home? - in detail
Remove the tick with fine‑point tweezers, grasping it as close to the skin as possible, and pull upward with steady pressure. Do not twist, crush, or squeeze the body, as this may inject additional saliva. After extraction, clean the bite area and your hands with an antiseptic solution or soap and water.
Document the encounter: record the date and time of the bite, the location on the body, and, if possible, the estimated size of the tick. Capture a photo of the attached tick before disposal, then place the specimen in a sealed container for potential identification.
Observe the site for the next 2–4 weeks. Look for expanding redness, a rash resembling a “bull’s‑eye,” fever, headache, muscle aches, or fatigue. Any of these signs warrant immediate medical evaluation.
Consider prophylactic treatment only under specific conditions: the tick was attached for ≥36 hours, the local prevalence of Lyme disease exceeds 20 % in the area, and the patient is not allergic to doxycycline. In such cases, a single 200 mg dose of doxycycline may be prescribed by a healthcare professional.
If uncertainty exists about the tick species, the duration of attachment, or the risk of tick‑borne illnesses, seek advice from a physician promptly. Do not rely solely on over‑the‑counter remedies or home remedies for infection prevention.