What should you do with the tick after removal?

What should you do with the tick after removal?

• A. Place the tick in alcohol or keep it for identification
• B. Bury it in the yard
• C. Flush it down the toilet
• D. Release it outdoors

Answer: (A)

After removing a tick, preserve it in alcohol or keep it for identification. Keeping the specimen helps a clinician or public health professional determine the tick’s species and whether it carried pathogens, which can influence medical decisions if you later develop symptoms. Storing the tick in a sealed container with date and bite location keeps the sample usable for potential identification or testing. This approach is more reliable than discarding it, since disposing of the tick (in the yard, flushing, or releasing it) destroys the specimen and misses a chance to assess exposure risk.

After removing a tick, preserve it in alcohol or keep it for identification. Keeping the specimen helps a clinician or public health professional determine the tick’s species and whether it carried pathogens, which can influence medical decisions if you later develop symptoms. Storing the tick in a sealed container with date and bite location keeps the sample usable for potential identification or testing. This approach is more reliable than discarding it, since disposing of the tick (in the yard, flushing, or releasing it) destroys the specimen and misses a chance to assess exposure risk.