Inanna

Tick borne diseases are really fucking scary!! Many are debilitating, understudied, and difficult to get treated for even in the best of circumstances, and ticks can carry multiple at once. Lyme disease is the most well known one in the United States, but there are many diseases ticks carry, including ones from the same bacterial genus as typhus.

Ticks are present on every continent (INCLUDING ANTARTICA!!??). They are most prevalent in warm, humid environments, which also means they are becoming more common in areas that didn't have problems with them before! (thank you climate change 🫥) Wear long sleeved clothes, tuck them in when possible, wear bug spray/bug repellant of some kind, and be wary of forest edges and tall grass. Take a shower soon after if possible as ticks don't like running water, and it is a good time to check your private areas for ticks (dont forget under your boobs).

If you do find a tick on you that has bitten you, carefully remove it with tweezers, as leaving the mouth parts in there can cause infection. Squeezing them can cause them to spit the blood they just sucked, now with the bacteria they harbor, into you. If you don't have tweezers, you should still try to remove it as carefully as possible.

The longer it sucks blood, the longer there is a chance of contracting a disease. (Most medical authorities say up to 24-36 hours but people with tick bourne disease sometimes claim otherwise). Moniter the site for any signs of rash or infection. What diseases are prevelant in your region will depend, but many tickborne diseases include a visible rash, fever, fatigue, and headaches. The longer they goes untreated, the more chronic tickbourne disease tend to become, even when treatment is finally received.

If you're able to get medical attention and you think the tick has been on you for longer then 24 hours, please do so. If you have an urgent care, they usually give a prescription for the needed antibiotic very easily. If you can't, I'm unfortunately not too aware of ways to get the antibiotic (doxycycline) used for many cases without a prescription. I've heard it is relatively easy to find on online pharmacies. Keep monitoring for up to 30 days after a tick bite for signs of disease.

Not all ticks will carry disease. Some regions have ticks but they don't tend to be carriers, or a low percentage of ticks will be. Some regions are very saturated with tick bourne disease, and you should research, especially if you will be doing activities or jobs that put you at a higher risk of exposure. Different tick species will also carry different diseases, so learn how to identify them best you can.

"America is a dumpster fire"

someone will

someone out there will see you and say "yes. the world is scary. but let me hold your hand and show you how to do it anyways"

"Abort Amerikkka"