With the warm season, the ticks become more active again. The arachnids' bites are not only unpleasant, in some cases they can also transmit pathogens of diseases such as Lyme disease or tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). The Health Knowledge Foundation provides information on how you can protect yourself from the small bloodsuckers, which TBE risk areas there are currently and when you should go to the doctor after a tick bite on its health portal.
With spring, many people are drawn back into nature. But be careful: you can also come across ticks that have already awakened.
The little bloodsuckers become active at around eight degrees Celsius. They can transmit diseases with their bite. The most common tick-borne diseases include Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Lyme disease, also known as Lyme disease or Lyme disease, is caused by the bacterium Borrelia. It can affect various organ systems.
However, the skin, the nervous system or the joints are most commonly affected. TBE is an inflammation of the brain and meninges caused by viruses. If you become ill, flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches and body aches can occur, which is why those affected often assume they have a cold. The symptoms usually go away on their own after a few days. In very rare cases, inflammation of the brain and meninges occurs after about a week. Fever, nausea and nervous system failures can then occur.
Also read our fact check on: New species of ticks on the rise
This is the best way to protect yourself from tick bites
The best strategy is to prevent the little bloodsuckers from coming into contact with your own skin. The animals have poor eyesight, move slowly and look for a free, soft area of skin on the body to sting. They often stay in the grass or bushes - around knee height. Anyone who wears long trousers, sturdy shoes and long-sleeved tops is well protected.
Even if you mostly move on paved paths, the risk of contact decreases. Anyone who was out in nature should search their bodies for the small, dark animals. In particular, ears, hairline, neck, armpits, elbows, belly button, genital area or back of the knees should be searched. The animals particularly like to nest here. If a tick has bitten, it should be removed using suitable tools. The faster the tick is removed, the lower the risk of infection with pathogens. Insect repellents against ticks can also protect: the active ingredients in these tick sprays irritate the ticks' sensory perceptions so that they cannot bite.
Removing ticks: How to do it correctly
A tick should be removed quickly and, if possible, using suitable tools.
A tick bite is not painful in itself. However, diseases can be transmitted. Ticks feed on the blood of other animals, for example the blood of rodents or deer, and thereby ingest pathogens. They pass this on to humans when they are bitten. In order to keep the risk of infection as low as possible, the tick should be removed as soon as possible. This is how you do it:
- Using tweezers or a tick removal tool, grab the tick as close to the surface of the skin as possible and pull it slowly and straight out of the skin. Do not turn - otherwise there is a risk that the tick's mouthpart ("stinger") breaks off and remains in the skin.
- Always pull out ticks by their mouthparts and never by their full body.
- If no suitable tool is available, you can also pull out the tick with your fingernails. However, the animal must be held as close as possible to the puncture site on the head and must not be crushed.
- Under no circumstances should you spray the tick with oil, glue, nail polish remover or other chemical substances. This means it takes even longer for the tick to fall off.
- Once you have removed the tick, you can disinfect the bite site. Check whether the tick has been completely removed.
Source Directly to the health information “Remove ticks correctly”
When should you see a doctor if you have a tick bite?
If a tick bites you, the site of the bite should be monitored for a few weeks after the tick has been removed. If ring-shaped skin redness occurs, a doctor should be consulted. The same applies if flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue, malaise, headache or body aches occur seven to 14 days after a tick bite.
How well does a vaccination protect?
There is currently only a vaccination against the TBE pathogen, not against Lyme disease. The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) recommends it for residents and visitors to risk areas who spend a lot of time outdoors and are therefore at increased risk. On the other hand, for occupationally exposed people in risk areas, such as forestry workers or laboratory staff. For complete vaccination protection, three vaccinations are required at certain intervals. According to the RKI, 99 percent of those vaccinated are completely protected. This lasts at least three years. A refresh is recommended after three to five years.
Further information on the topic of tick bites, how you can protect yourself and the current map with the TBE risk areas for download can be found on the Health Knowledge Foundation's health portal: Go directly to the health information “Tick Bites”
If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:
📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.
Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!
* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

