Ticks are parasites that feed on animal and human blood. They can latch onto people via long grass or stems.

If the person has an allergy reaction, trouble breathing or collapses, call 000.

First aid

• Do not pull on the tick or try to remove with tweezers. This will cause it to inject more toxins.
• Kill the tick safely with an ether spray (for example, wart-off spray) or permethrin cream. These can bought at a pharmacy.
• For people with a known tick allergy, this should be done in a hospital emergency department.
• Wait 10 minutes after treatment for the tick to die, then carefully brush off.
• Wash the affected area with soap and warm water and keep it clean and dry.
• Seek advice from the Poisons Information Centre 13 11 26 if any symptoms occur.

Read more about tick bites.