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Consumer Information Center Ticks Proper Removal and Disposal

Consumer Information Center - Ticks: Proper Removal and Disposal
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Proper Removal of a Tick

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The best way to remove a tick is with fine-pointed tweezers. Grab as closely to the skin as possible and pull straight back, using steady but gentle force. In addition:

  • Do not use your fingers to remove the tick.

  • Do not twist the tick, which can cause breakage, leaving part of its body in your skin.

  • Do not crush, prick, or burn the tick, which may cause it to salivate or regurgitate infected fluids.

  • Do not try to smother the tick with products such as petroleum jelly or mineral oil. Ticks can store enough oxygen to complete feeding.

Proper Disposal of a Tick

Place the tick in a sealed container or small plastic bag and deposit in the trash. James Herrington, MPH, Public Health Education Specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says that the humidity ticks need to survive is lacking inside a plastic bag. Do not flush ticks down the toilet because they can easily survive in the water.

--C.L.

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