Many associate ticks with the summer or fall, but tick bites can happen year-round in warmer states like Mississippi. Let’s explore what you should do if you’re bitten by a tick.

At State Urgent Care in Starkville, MS, we want you to be prepared for the health concerns life can bring your way. We provide convenient, high-quality urgent care 7 days a week to ensure you get the medical help you need when you need it.

How to Treat a Tick Bite

If you find a tick attached to you or a family member, removing it immediately is critical. If the tick is carrying an infectious illness like Lyme disease, it usually takes 36 hours to transmit the bacteria from the time they first attach to your skin. Take note of how long you think the tick has been attached.

Let’s explore the best way to remove the tick and care for the site.

Tick Bite First Aid

Remove the tick carefully. Using tweezers, grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible. Using a steady motion, remove the tick—avoid squeezing or twisting the tick’s body.
Keep a record. You can stick the tick to a piece of tape. Keep the tick for identification by a provider (putting it in a bag in the freezer is a good method) or take a photo before you dispose of it. Identifying the type of tick that bit you can help your provider assess your risk for tick-borne illness.
Wash the site. Wash your hands and clean the site of the tick bite using warm, soapy water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Are Tick Bites Dangerous?

Though some ticks are not likely to carry tick-borne disease, some are more dangerous. Mississippi is home to several types of ticks, some of which can carry and transmit diseases. The American dog tick and brown dog tick can both transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a bacterial infection that can be life-threatening without treatment.

Lone star ticks, also found in Mississippi, can carry other diseases, including Ehrlichiosis and Tularemia.

Though less common in Mississippi than in more northern states, the deer tick (black-legged tick) can carry borrelia bacteria, a pathogen that causes Lyme disease. If not treated promptly, Lyme disease can have serious complications.

When Should I Go to Urgent Care for a Tick Bite?

Seek tick bite urgent care if:

Part of the tick is still embedded in your skin.
You develop a growing rash at the bite site or elsewhere on your body.
You think a deer tick bit you, or you’re unable to identify the tick and are concerned. Bringing the tick or a photo of it with you may be helpful.
The bite site appears infected. Signs include redness, swelling, pain, or discharge.
You develop flu-like symptoms, including a fever, chills, body aches, fatigue, or a headache within a few weeks of a tick bite.

What Can Urgent Care Do for a Tick Bite?

At urgent care, an experienced provider can discuss your symptoms, help to identify a tick, and assess your risk for tick-borne illnesses like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, or other infections.

If your provider concludes you are at risk for tick-borne illness, they can order treatment (typically with an antibiotic) and testing as indicated.

Preventing Tick Bites

Here are some things you can do to prevent tick bites:

Avoid tick habitat. Wood ticks typically live in long grass, weeds, brush, or wooded areas. Try to avoid these areas, especially during peak tick season, when at all possible. For example, if you’re walking on a trail, stick to the center of the trail to avoid brushing against grass or weeds that might be hiding ticks.
Create a barrier. If you’re gardening, hiking, camping, or going for a walk, wearing long pants tucked into your socks, boots, and a long-sleeve shirt may help to prevent ticks from attaching to your skin. Insect repellant may be helpful as well. Some people treat clothing and gear with permethrin to repel ticks.
Do a tick check. Immediately after coming inside, check your skin for ticks using a mirror. Pay close attention to your legs, belt line, scalp, ears, belly button, and under your arms. Children may need assistance in checking for ticks. Inspect pets as well, as they can carry ticks indoors on their fur.
Take a shower. Showering may help wash off any ticks that haven’t yet become attached.

Urgent Care for Tick Bites

If you’ve experienced a tick bite, our experienced clinicians at State Urgent Care can ensure you get the care you need promptly. Offering walk-in visits, shorter wait times, and a wide range of urgent care services, we make high-quality medical care in Starkville fast and convenient.