Critical warnings from an expert! What should you do if a tick attaches?

Dr. Meral Gülbenat Şimşek, an infectious diseases specialist at Tunceli State Hospital, issued warnings regarding the measures to be taken and what to do in the event of a tick bite.

Stating that Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is transmitted to humans by a virus carried by ticks, infectious diseases specialist Dr. Meral Gülbenat Şimşek said, “This virus does not cause disease in animals, but it makes humans ill. We encounter this disease during the spring and summer months, which is the tick attachment season.”

Noting that the disease is seen in the Central Black Sea region, the northern parts of Eastern Anatolia, and the northern sections of Central Anatolia, Specialist Dr. Şimşek stated,

“Tunceli is also among these high-risk regions. In addition to tick attachment, the disease is also transmitted through contact with animals that are carriers but not sick themselves. Therefore, people involved in livestock farming are at risk,” she said.

Warning that one should wear light-colored clothing and tuck pant legs into socks when going to fields, gardens, wooded areas, or picnic spots to protect against CCHF, Specialist Dr. Meral Gülbenat Şimşek added, “After a tick attaches, we must monitor our symptoms for 10 days. There may be fever, fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, diarrhea, and bleeding anywhere on the body. If any of these conditions occur, we must apply to the nearest healthcare facility. We should not touch ticks attached to the body or found on animals with bare hands, we should not kill them, and we should not attempt interventions such as applying oil, alcohol, or extinguishing cigarettes on them.”