Are tick bites bad, serious?

First off, here in Pennsylvania if you are ever bitten by a tick, you should seek out medical attention. This is not because the bite is dangerous. In fact, most of the time the bite will not even be a discomfort at all. If you are allergic to tick bites, you could develop blisters, a rash, fever, nausea, or a stiff neck. In severe cases of allergic reactions, you could experience difficulty breathing. Still though, most tick bites are harmless.

The reason you should seek out medical attention is not because of the bite, rather, it is because of what is inside of the tick. In the science world, ticks are referred to as vectors.This is because they spread diseases. You have probably heard of Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Anaplasmosis, or Babesiosis. Each of these diseases can be a concern to your health. Ticks spread a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites. These pathogens are what makes a tick bite serious. The bite itself will heal over, but the nasty illnesses that can infect your body can take a lot of time and resources to overcome.

Pennsylvania is a hotspot for Lyme disease. We are consistently the leader in the nation for the number of reported cases of Lyme disease. Whenever you are traveling around outdoors, whether in your yard or in the wilderness make certain you take precautions. Use repellents and wear clothing that covers your body. Make certain that you always perform a full body tick check on you, your children and your pets. So while the bite itself might not be medically significant, the pathogens from ticks are definitely serious.