During the bright May Day holiday, many people would like to go up the mountain to enjoy the spring scenery. However, it is necessary to be careful when walking in the grass and mountains because spring is the season of high incidence of insect-borne diseases. The northern part of China has entered the peak period of tick activity since mid-April. People who play, work, or live in mountainous areas should be vigilant and take good protection.

Ticks are very small, with a black, oval body. It has two parts: the jaw body and the body. When not sucking blood, its abdomen and back are flat, and the back is slightly raised. The adult body is 2mm to 10mm long. After sucking blood, it swells like red beans or castor beans, and the larger ones can be up to 30mm long. The epidermis is leathery, and the back may have a chitinous shield. The clinical symptoms of human infection after being bitten by ticks are mainly fever, fatigue, etc. A few cases are critically ill, with impaired consciousness, skin ecchymosis, gastrointestinal bleeding, pulmonary hemorrhage, etc. The patient may die from multiple organ failure such as shock, respiratory failure, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

The key to prevent ticks is protection. It is recommended to wear light-colored clothes in mountainous areas, and tighten the cuffs, trouser legs, collars, and other part of clothes to prevent insects. Ticks contain anesthetic substances in their mouthparts, so the pain and itching caused by tick bites are not obvious, which makes it easy for people to ignore the risks. When returning from the wild, it is recommended to check the whole body and carefully observe whether there are ticks in key areas such as the armpits, scalp, and waist. Once a tick is found, do not pull it out or burn it by yourself, try to take it out at a regular hospital.

Here are some health tips from Beijing 120. If a tick is found and has been removed by yourself, it is recommended to observe the physical condition. If there is fever, rash, etc., it is necessary to go to the hospital for timely examination and treatment immediately. Remember to call 120 if necessary.