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Dear Myra,
Last summer we had a staff member who wanted to remove ticks from campers with a lighted match. He said that holding a lighted match to the tick would make the tick back off the skin. I thought this was a dangerous practice. What is the best way to remove ticks?
Answer: I have learned during our health care staff training that staff members have all kinds of ways to remove ticks: burn the tick off with a hot match or burning cigarette, coating the tick with Vaseline, oil, acetone or pricking the tick with a pin! I agree with you that burning a tick is a dangerous and frightening way to remove ticks.
Know how to remove ticks: The most common way to remove a tick is with the use of tweezers. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, get near the mouth part - don't grasp the tick's body. Pull the tick away from the skin. Do not twist or jerk. Pull slowly with gentle pressure until the tick releases its hold. The tick bite should be washed with soap and water. Then apply an antiseptic to the bite. Save the tick in a small jar or plastic bag. Document the tick removal and inform the camp's health care worker that a tick was removed.
If
symptoms of tick-borne diseases occur, the camp has the tick and
documentation. In our camp, when we remove a tick we keep the "little
critter" on a piece of masking tape on the wall in the Health Center.
We cover the tick with scotch tape and label the tape with the
person's name and date the tick was removed. If the person should
come in with symptoms, we have the information and "the body."
Ticks measure from one fourth to three fourths of an inch when mature. The nymph tick is very small and often difficult to see on the skin. They can be the size of a poppy seed or the head of a pin. Ticks are gray or brown oval insects with four pairs of legs and small heads. They are found in all parts of the United States, on low shrubs, grass and trees. Ticks sometimes carry disease such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever which causes fever and rash, Lyme Disease which causes a red circular rash around the bite, headache, fatigue, pain in joints and muscles, and flu-like symptoms, and Tularemia which causes lymph nodes to become painful and swollen. Ticks pick up the bacteria that causes these illnesses when they feed on infected mice and deer. Diseases can be spread when ticks attach themselves to a warm blooded animals that brushes by it, including humans. A tick can attach to you without your knowledge. It does not hurt. If a tick is not removed immediately, it will adhere to the skin and is more difficult to detach.
Camp tick infestation can vary from year to year. If ticks are present in and around your camp, campers and staff should do "tick checks" daily. A good time is when they shower or change clothes. They should check their hair, hairline, groin, underarms, back, and behind their ears. Look for something resembling a small black "freckle" or a new "mole." Have someone else check areas you can't see.
Since ticks hang onto leaves and blades of grass and attach themselves to animals and humans that pass by, consider these personal protection measures:
1. When in tick-infested areas, light colored clothing will help you spot ticks.
2. Wear: a hat, long sleeved shirt (tucked into pants) with the cuffs and collar buttoned, long pants tucked into socks, shoes with closed toes.
3. Apply a tick repellent according to the directions on the label.
It is important to educate your staff about ticks, the diseases they might carry, how to do "tick checks," the proper removal of ticks and documentation.
Questions?? If you have a question on any aspect of Camp Health and Safety write to Myra at 9879 Zig Zag Road, Cincinnati, OH 45242-6310 or email JSPBooks@aol.com or call/fax 513-791-4096.
Myra Pravda, RN, MSN is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in parent-child health. She has been a camp nurse for 18 years, working in day and resident camps, co-authored the children's book Off to Camp, and is Board Chair of the Association of Camp Nurses. Myra is a camp health consultant and educator, ACA presenter, and writes on camp health topics.
