Date: Tue, 30 May 2017 08:52:01 -0400
From: Marcia E Herman-Giddens
Subject: Do not use soap, bubbles, etc on ticks to remove ticks! New research shows…
TIC-NC appreciates Dr. Dyker’s support and kind words. His older post on May 30 mentions using soap on ticks to make them easier to remove. New research has shown that anything that irritates the tick is likely to make them regurgitate their bodily fluids into the wound they have created. If they are carrying human pathogens, this obviously increases the chance of the person getting an infection.
A good way to look at it is anything that would irritate us- like being covered with soap bubbles, touched with a hot match, covered with vaseline, etc, also irritates a tick. Very sharp-pointed tweezers are the safest and most effective device to use. Do not squeeze the body. Please see our website, www-tic-nc.org or the CDC’s for further details on proper removal.
Keep the tick!
Marcia E. Herman-Giddens
Scientific Adviser, Tick-borne Infections Council of North Carolina, Inc.
Office 919.542.5573 Fax 919.