Off-Beat-News
Tick bites: What you need to know─── THANDI XABA 10:53 Wed, 01 Oct 2014
Bloemfontein - Tick bites can lead to diseases like Congo Fever, especially in the Northern Cape.
Danie Stander Deputy Director of Environmental Health and Communicable Diseases Control at the Northern Cape Department of Health says the likelihood of a person contracting Congo Fever is great if bitten by a tick in the Northern Cape.
He also says though a tick bite may be painless, flu like symptoms that follow require urgent medical attention.
Stander further advises to never remove a tick forcefully when it is still attached to the skin as this may stimulate it to produce more harmful substances. Rather cover the entire tick with Vaseline as this will force the tick to detach itself.
He adds that tick bites can be prevented by wearing light coloured clothes, as it will be easier to see the tick on your clothes. It is advisable not to burn the tick when it is still attached to your skin as this may stimulate it to produce more harmful substances. Also, never try to pull the from your skin as diseases can be spread in this manner.
He advises an antiseptic cream can be applied to the bite mark as this will prevent other infections, but will not prevent any diseases that might have been transmitted to the victim.
Thandi Xaba/OFM News
