What should be done if more than a week has passed since a tick bite? - briefly
Consult a healthcare professional promptly for evaluation and possible testing for tick‑borne infections. If indicated, a short course of doxycycline may be prescribed.
What should be done if more than a week has passed since a tick bite? - in detail
When more than seven days have elapsed since a tick attachment, immediate medical evaluation becomes essential. The risk of transmission of pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia microti increases with time, making prompt assessment critical.
The first step is to document the bite site. Record the date of exposure, the region of the body affected, and any visible changes such as erythema, a central clearing, or expanding lesions. Photographs can aid later comparison.
Next, seek professional care. A clinician will:
- Conduct a thorough physical examination, focusing on skin lesions, fever, fatigue, headache, joint pain, and neurological signs.
- Order serological tests for Lyme disease and other tick‑borne infections if symptoms are present or if the bite occurred in an endemic area.
- Consider a complete blood count and liver function tests to detect systemic involvement.
- Discuss the possibility of a short course of doxycycline as prophylaxis, especially when the tick is known to have been attached for ≥ 36 hours and local infection rates exceed 20 %.
If the tick remains attached, remove it with fine‑point tweezers, grasping close to the skin, pulling straight upward without crushing. Clean the area with alcohol or iodine.
Follow‑up appointments should be scheduled within two weeks to reassess symptoms and review laboratory results. Persistent or evolving signs, such as a bull’s‑eye rash or joint swelling, warrant repeat testing and possible referral to an infectious‑disease specialist.
In summary, after a week‑plus interval since a tick bite: document the exposure, obtain prompt medical assessment, initiate appropriate laboratory work‑up, consider antibiotic prophylaxis, and maintain vigilant follow‑up.