The tick population has increased significantly this year in Andalucía, and in practically all of Spain, in fact.

Now, if you would like a dose of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, then ticks are your best way of catching it at this latitude. However, they’re quite versitile and can also transmit the encephalitis virus or the Borrelia bacteria, which causes Lyme disease.

All that rain in spring increased the amount of vegetation in the campo, which in turn increased the tick population with a need to feed. Spring and summer is when they are most active whereas they sort of take the rest of the year off.

To avoid risks, it is important to know where they are usually found and how to act in case of a bite. They are generally found more frequently in areas where there are a lot of trees, although they also appear among brush and shrubs.

They reach urban environments by hitching a ride along with wild animals like rabbits, wild boars and foxes, with the latter two encroaching further and further into built up areas.

They don’t actually like human blood much but they’re not too fussy –  they hang onto outgrowing vegetation along paths waiting for breakfast to stumble past. 

It is important to differentiate between active and passive ticks, because the passive ones position themselves in the vegetation to drop onto their victim, as explained above.

Then there are the ‘hunter’ ones who think, “bugger it, I’m going to find me something to chew on.” So they move around on the ground, so if you’re sitting down, enjoying a picnic, for example, they will stroll over and latch on.

So, what to do if you find one lodged with its head under your skin. The advice used to be, go to a centro de salud to have it removed, but now experts say, deal with it straight away.

To remove it, simply grab the tick by the head and pull it straight up. Once you have done that, don’t start trying to stamp on it because they are almost armour plated and will just laugh at you. 

No, put it in a small glass jar, so if you do feel unwell later, or marks appear around the bite, then go to the centro de salud and take your new friend with you so that they can determine which pathogens it carries and give you the treatment you need.

(News: Andalucia)

Kewords: Tick Bites, Remove, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Lyme Disease, Centro De Salud

news, andalucia, tick bites, remove, crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever virus, lyme disease, centro de salud