Lyme Disease

How to Remove a Tick

(Source: Hunterdon County, NJ DOH)

Because it takes roughly 24-48 hours for a tick to transmit bacteria, it is important to remove ticks from your skin as soon as you discover them.

• Using a pair of pointed (fine-tipped) tweezers, grasp the mouthparts of the tick as close to the skin as possible.
• Pull the tick straight out with a firm and steady force.
• Wash the area of the bite thoroughly with soap and water.
• Place the tick in a jar of alcohol.  Your physician may recommend that you have the tick identified or tested for disease.
• Contact your physician to see what further measures they recommend.
• Watch the bite for signs of a rash.

DO NOT attempt to remove the tick by touching it with a burnt match or swabbing it with alcohol or petroleum jelly.  This will only aggravate the tick and cause it to release more bacteria into the blood stream.

Proper Tick Removal (Source: Hunterdon County, NJ DOH)

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