Ticks can carry many diseases that can be harmful to any human or animal. It’s important to check your entire body for ticks after spending time outdoors and to get tested for illnesses if you find a tick has bitten you. It’s also critical to understand the signs you’ve been bitten by a tick in case it falls off.
AFC Urgent Care Burlington can remove ticks and test for potential disease. If you find yourself to have been bitten by a tick this summer, visit our walk-in center today for treatment. You will never need an appointment to be seen for urgent care services!
Identifying Tick Bites
Tick bites are different than other insect bites as they will burrow their heads into your skin and start feeding. It can stay in your skin for several days if left untreated. The bite itself does not hurt, and it’s itchy, so it’s possible to go completely unnoticed. They can also be the size of a poppyseed before they begin to grow. This means it’s crucial to check yourself thoroughly after spending time outdoors.
A small red rash may develop around the tick bite that is around 1 to 2 inches. Anything larger is a sign of an illness. Not all ticks carry illnesses, however.
Symptoms After a Tick Bite
Even if a tick doesn’t carry a disease, it may cause symptoms at the site of the bite. This includes:
- A small hard bump at the site
- Redness
- Swelling
If a tick carries a disease, it may also cause flu-like symptoms. This can include body aches, chills, fatigue, fever, or headache.
Certain diseases may cause further symptoms in addition to flu-like symptoms.
Lyme disease
In most cases of Lyme, people will develop a rash, but not everyone will. It can show up anywhere from 3 to 30 days after you’re bitten. The rash itself will be round or oval-shaped and will grow to be around 6 inches in diameter. It can feel warm but won’t be painful or itchy.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
With RMSF, a rash may develop 2 to 5 days after being bitten. It may look like small, pink spots on your wrists and ankles. It will then spread to the rest of your body and may turn red or purple after a week.
Southern tick-associated rash illness
With this illness, a red rash may develop like Lyme disease, which is in the shape of a bullseye.
Tularemia
There are different variants of this disease, but the most common cause a painful, open sore at the site of the tick bite.
Ehrlichiosis
This disease is more prominent in children than in adults. It causes a rash that can vary from small red or purple spots to areas of the skin covered in a red rash and small bumps.
