50. How do you properly remove a tick? Where can the tick be sent for testing and what are the costs? How do you package the tick for shipment? Does the tick need to be alive for testing?

To remove an attached tick- Do not touch the tick with your fingers or squeeze the tick. Use fine point tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Pull the tick out in the opposite direction from the way it entered, with a smooth motion. Do not twist or crush the tick. Clean the wound with alcohol to help prevent a secondary infection. Place the tick, dead or alive, in a plastic baggy with a cotton ball that is slightly damp. Contact your local health department or a lab that performs tick testing, such as Igenex Lab, to determine the current shipping methods and prices for tick testing. The current (04/03) cost to test an individual tick (or up to 20 ticks together) is approximately $50.00 for each tick-borne disease.

FAQs BASED ON RESEARCH FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. CONSULT A GOOD DOCTOR FOR MEDICAL ADVICE.