Tick-ing Time Bombs

Kyoto: Hiking from Kibune to Kurama

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Once you're armed with the facts, the best defense is to inspect, inspect, inspect. Anytime you or your kids enter possible habitats, make periodic inspections, plus a thorough exam at the end of the day.

Ticks are one of the many reasons your kids should learn to stay on the trail. Remember, however, that you don't have to go into the woods to encounter ticks. They're right at home in your backyard, lurking in grass, shrubs, and woodpiles. Kids love to roll in the grass, so they pick up ticks easily.

Removing Ticks from Kids
Despite your best efforts, you've found a little bloodsucker latched onto your kid. So what's the best weapon for removing it?

A pair of tweezers. Yup, that's what you need to remove a tick once it's got a grip.

Forget any remedy you might have heard involving such things as nail polish and hot matches. Such procedures make ticks hold on harder or regurgitate, thus increasing the risk of infection.

Be calm. There's no reason to panic. While ticks can be dangerous, this isn't a poisonous snakebite. If you're calm, your child is more likely to relax. Now you're ready to proceed:

Grasp the tick firmly and pull with a slow, steady, and straight motion. Don't squeeze the tick. Try to pressure it into letting go rather than jerking the body off, which will leave the head embedded.

If you don't have tweezers, wrap tissue or a leaf around your fingers and pull. These barriers help keep bacteria off your fingers.

Wipe the bite area with antiseptic and wash your hands and the tweezers.

If you're worried about an embedded tick, save the tick in a vial. Note the name of the victim, place of contact, and date. Call your physician to see if a visit to the doctor's office is warranted; take the specimen along if you go. Laboratory analysis can detect whether disease is present.

During a recent extraction from my six-year-old's scalp, he was as cool as a cucumber—at first. Unfortunately, the tick was firmly attached, and a simple tug wasn't enough to loosen it. My son became hysterical while our friend fetched the tweezers. He wanted that bloodsucking creature off his body immediately. Thankfully, he calmed down and the tick was soon history.

Last but not least, a mini ecological lesson. After all this discussion about ticks and the havoc they wreak, remember that they aren't all bad. You might want to explain to your kids that they're an important food source for many birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

Just don't let yourself be their food source.