Many ticks are not infected, and those that are need time to transmit disease. Even when an infection does take hold, symptoms may present as mild, delayed, or absent at first.
It's common to be bitten by a tick and feel completely fine. In fact, that’s the most likely outcome. There are a few different reasons why this is the case.
First, most ticks aren’t carrying anything. The majority of tick bites have no disease to transmit in the first place. The tick was simply never infected. That doesn’t mean you want to take chances that you don’t have to, but it does also mean that a single tick bite doesn’t spell doom either.
Lyme disease generally requires a tick to be attached for 24 to 48 hours before the bacteria pass along. This means that if you quickly find and remove the tick, it will often transmit nothing.
Do not rely on the classic Lyme disease rash to diagnose a bite. In some cases, the mark fails to appear. In others, it hides on your scalp or back. Remember that the absence of a rash does not equal the absence of an infection.
If you do fall ill, you’ll likely notice your symptoms didn’t start immediately. Tick-borne illness usually takes a week or two to produce symptoms. Feeling fine right after a bite doesn’t tell you much about the days ahead. Immune responses are very different person to person, which is why some infections start mild or nearly silent before becoming noticeable.
Tickborne illnesses often don't start with obvious signs before escalating. This is why it's always wise to perform routine tick checks and remove any ticks you find, documenting any bites and the exact date they occurred. If you feel strange symptoms, contact a healthcare provider, even if you don't recall being bitten.
If you're tired of the uncertainty that comes with every tick bite, Mosquito Squad of Metro Detroit can help. Mosquito Squad reduces the ticks in your yard so there are far fewer bites to second-guess. This helps you to protect your family with up to 90% reduction in pest activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
