Basic First Aid On The Trail: Ticks

Ticks On The Trail

What are ticks?  They are parasitic arachnida which live off of sucking blood from their hosts to survive.  Ticks carry diseases and can make a great trip a nightmare very easily.  There are male and female ticks.  Male ticks usually die after they mate.  Ixodidae are the hard ticks while argasidae are the soft variety.  Ticks bite a very wide range of animals which includes humans.  The little bugs cannot jump, fly or drop.  That means you must come very close or bush by something they are on (grass, trees, brush, etc.).

Ticks are a stronger threat during the months of July to September.  Individuals who are outdoors or in wooded areas are at higher risk by being in closer proximity to tick’s favorite environments.  Ticks that are red in color are usually ones who have fed recently and are red as they are full of blood.  They can sustain themselves without a meal for weeks, months or even longer than a year.

Preventing Ticks From Being A Problem

You have a few options when it comes to preventing ticks from becoming a problem.  The best way is to avoid their home environments.  Since we love being outside, this isn’t an option.  By covering your body parts with clothing you will limit the target areas they seek out.  Reducing the amount of contact you have with branches, grasses or brush is another huge step.  Since ticks can’t simply fall or jump onto you, they won’t be able to reach you unless you basically come into direct contact with your body.

Using repellents and wearing clothing treated with repellent definitely helps.  Acaricides will kill ticks and mites and may not be a bad thing to keep with you when in the backcountry.  Wearing clothing that is lighter in color can make ticks more visible and easier to remove before they bite.  Socks over pants ends and tucking in shirts can eliminate easier entryways.  Checking yourself and those alongside you on the trail is the best way to detect ticks as bites are often painless.

Treating Ticks When They Are A Problem

You notice that you have a tick that is in your armpit.  At this point you may think wearing that cool tank top was a huge mistake.  Anyway, you need to get that thing out.  First, take a pair of tweezers or a tick tool and carefully get as close to the skin as you can. You want to try to get the entire tick, grading them by the body can rip their head off as it is still attached to you.  This is no bueno.  Also, ticks can vomit into you if they are squeezed to hard.  The goal here is to make the tick want to let go of you, not rip it off.

After you have removed the tick, wash the area very well with soap.  When it is clean apply a anti-bacterial lotion and/or antiseptic.  You don’t want to cast the tick aside, keep it in a small container with you.  After you get back to civilization, have the tick tested for possible diseases by your doctor.  Monitor yourself for days and weeks after the bit.  Sometimes the diseases take an extended period of time to manifest themselves and show symptoms.  Typically, antibiotics are implemented to fight tick carried diseases.

Tick bites can appear as small red marks at first, itch & burn, swelling & numbness and/or extremely intense pain near the bite site.  Paralysis has been known to occur along with stiffness in the neck.  If you experience fever, vomiting, weakness, aches, headache or confusion you want to see a medical professional as quickly as possible.

Diseases & Conditions Transmitted By Ticks

There are several diseases carried and transmitted by ticks.  Some of them are:

• Anaplasmosis
• Babesiosis
• Colorado tick fever
• Ehrliciosis
• Heartland virus
• Lyme disease- rashes, joint pain and flu symptoms are common with Lyme disease.  A bulls-eye rash is associated with LD.
• Powassan encephalitis
• Q fever
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• Southern tick associated rash illness
• Tick borne relapsing fever
• Tularemia

The End Goal

In the end we want to prevent tick bites a much as possible.  If you know you have been bitten, know what you can do to limit further damage.  Basic first aid skills can be the difference between life and death here.  Understanding basic disease prevention is also important.  Don’t let a great trip be your last just because of a little arachnida.  Stop ticks before they stop you.