What should you know about tick bites, and when is medical treatment required in Europe?

Tick bites explained: tick removal, Lyme disease risk, erythema migrans rash, tick-borne infections, and prescribing criteria.

In this episode, we outline how tick bites are managed under EU medical guidance and when antibiotics may be considered.

You’ll learn:

• How to safely remove a tick (fine-tipped tweezers, steady upward pull)

• Why crushing or twisting the tick is discouraged

• Early signs of Lyme disease (expanding red rash, flu-like symptoms)

• The difference between local irritation and erythema migrans

• When blood tests are or are not useful

• When prophylactic or therapeutic antibiotics may be prescribed

• Red flag symptoms such as severe headache, joint swelling, facial drooping, or fever

• Situations where antibiotic requests may be declined without clinical indication

We explain how doctors assess bite timing, geographic exposure risk, rash characteristics (including photo review where appropriate), systemic symptoms, and pregnancy status during an online consultation in the EU. Not all tick bites require antibiotics, and accurate clinical assessment is essential.

This episode reflects the clinical standards used by Mobi Doctor, where infection-related consultations are reviewed by a registered physician in line with EU prescribing guidance.

Read the full guide and transcript here:

https://www.mobidoctor.eu/blog/tick-bites