Ticks belong to the arthropod family; in particular they are parasites of animals and of human beings, and so they are found in all those places where their so-called “host” lives, whose blood they suck for a variable period ranging from 3 to 10 days.
Anyone who goes hiking is potentially exposed to being attacked by ticks. Ticks, in fact, contrary to what people believe, don't fly and don't jump: to get onto their host they have to position themselves on the long stems of grasses and shrubs. The tick climbs onto its host when it detects its presence: carbon dioxide and body heat are two factors that allow the tick to recognise that a living being is nearby.
Is a tick bite dangerous?
A tick bite is sneaky: it is painless, and for this reason people often don't notice they have been infected.
A tick bite can be very dangerous, particularly for humans. While it feeds on blood, the tick injects saliva containing neurotoxins, viruses and bacteria that cause a great number of infections and diseases, for example:
Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, fevers, skin rashes, tularaemia, anaplasmosis, encephalitis, and many others.
Naturally, for mountaineers and hikers the riskiest period is the seasons such as spring, summer and autumn, when grasses have long stems and ticks find it easier to get onto their host.
Symptoms of a tick bite
A tick bite doesn't give immediate symptoms; in some cases they can appear after the tick has dropped off.
- Fevers and flu-like symptoms
- Weakness
- Muscle pain
- Numbness
- Confusion and palpitations
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Paralysis
How do you protect yourself from ticks?
To protect yourself from ticks, naturally, the thing to do is to be careful not to walk through pastures, where you are more likely to pick up a tick since, as we said, ticks live where their potential hosts also live, such as grazing livestock.
Be careful not to brush against tall grass and shrubs where ticks might be sitting.
Wear long trousers (even in summer) and thick socks to reduce the chances of being attacked.
When you have been sitting on the ground, shake out your rucksack and clothing.
Inspecting your body when you get back from a hike is an excellent habit for finding out whether we have been bitten by a tick (this only works for spotting the larger ticks). Ticks, in fact, can be extremely small.
Tick and flea repellents are available in the shops. It is enough to spray repellent on both your clothing and your rucksack before setting off on a hike.
The seasons with the highest risk of meeting ticks run from April to September.
To remove a tick, especially the large ones, it is better to see a doctor, to avoid tearing off the head and leaving it inside the tissue. The head and mouthparts, even without the body, would keep injecting toxic substances and the infection could even get worse.
Better to go to your GP or to A&E to have the tick removed professionally. As well as disinfecting the bite properly, the doctor will decide whether to carry out some kind of medical treatment or prophylaxis against possible infections.
Among the hazards of summer meadows and paths there is also the viper bite.