To remove a tick, use fine-point tweezers to pull it straight out along the skin — don’t apply oil, don’t use heat

A pair of fine-point tweezers.

CDC advises using clean fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pulling it out with steady, even force. Petroleum jelly, nail polish or heat can irritate the tick and force pathogen-containing fluid into the skin. Twisting or jerking may break off its embedded mouthparts. If a rash or fever develops in the weeks afterward, see a doctor and report the recent bite and when it occurred. In China, ticks transmit severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. In 2024, 6602 cases and 306 deaths were reported, both the highest since the disease was identified. Average case fatality in 2010–2024 was 4.79%, rising with age to 9.15% in people aged 85 or older.

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」「Don't twist or jerk the tick. This can cause the tick mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin」「If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor」「Tell the doctor about your recent tick bite」「When the bite occurred」. 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.