If a tick is attached to the skin, use fine-point tweezers to gently pull it straight out while keeping it close to the skin; do not apply oil or use heat.

A pair of fine-point tweezers.

Applying oil, using fire to burn, or twisting and pulling will stimulate the tick, squeezing its pathogen-carrying fluids into the skin. Doing so also makes it easy to leave the part of the mouthparts embedded in the flesh inside. The Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome transmitted by ticks in China reported 6602 cases and 306 deaths nationwide in 2024, which was the highest year since this disease was discovered. From 2010 to 2024, the average fatality rate was 4.79%, increasing with age, and for those above 85 years old, it is 9.15%.

美国疾病控制与预防中心. 被蜱叮咬之后：「Grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible using clean fine-tipped tweezers」「Pull tick away from the skin with steady, even pressure」「Do not use petroleum jelly, heat, nail polish, or other substances to try and make the tick detach from the skin. This may agitate the tick and force infected fluid from the tick into the skin」. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/after-a-tick-bite/index.html；Ren Q 等 (2026). Epidemiological characteristics of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in China, 2010–2024: a fifteen-year national surveillance analysis. BMC Infectious Diseases 26:1497：「The number of reported cases (6,602 cases) and deaths (306 cases) in 2024 were both the highest levels since the discovery of this disease」「The average CFR was 4.79%, and the CFR increased with age, reaching 9.15% among those aged 85 years and above」. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-14066-z

Record the date after removal. If you develop fever, rash, or fatigue in the following weeks, proactively mention that you were bitten by a tick when seeking medical attention. If the doctor does not ask and you do not speak up, it can easily be misdiagnosed as a common cold.