Tick Surge in Spain: More Parasites or Better Detection?

The Tick Warning: Two Months of Aftermath from a Single Bite

Ten days of hospitalization, seven days of fever, and nearly two months to regain normalcy. This is the toll left by a single tick bite in one of the cases reported amid circulating warnings about a suspected surge in ticks this year. The alert relies on videos showing high concentrations of the parasite and a sense that this season is worse than others. However, some argue that the number of ticks hasn't changed, but rather that people have finally started counting them.

Is the Tick Plague Increasing in Spain?

Those who spend hours in the field believe so: this year, the pests persist longer, and the season feels heavy. The most common recommendation is simple common sense: avoid tall grass without long sleeves, or better yet, stay out. A livestock farmer accustomed to removing them daily notes a striking figure: up to thirty ticks removed from a single dog in one session, engorged like balls, with a preference for collies.

Geographically, there is no clear pattern. In a mountain village at 1,400 meters, residents insist they had never seen them before, while alerts come from lower areas. Rainfall appears in several explanations as the factor triggering reproduction. The most repeated scene involves hiking among ferns and cattle, trinc by checking legs upon returning home.

How to Remove a Tick: Tweezers, Oil, and the Advice Against Applying Anything

The method cited in the original warning uses tweezers: grasp as close to the skin as possible and pull slowly, with small twists side to side. No one disputes the tool—specific tweezers cost a euro and provide leverage—but the rest of the ritual is debated. Some suggest placing the bug in a freezer jar to kill it with cold. No medical backing.

Here begins the conflict. Some defend that olive oil, alcohol, or petroleum jelly suffocate the tick, causing it to detach on its own. Others warn against this: applying such substances can worsen the situation. The sharpest advice comes from someone living in Central Europe who took their child to the doctor: they were told not to apply oil, petroleum jelly, or butter. Conversely, no one disputes that the sooner it is out, the better.

What Is Erythema Migrans in Lyme Disease?

This is the sign several experts advise looking for: a redness spreading outward from the bite site. If it appears, the repeated advice is to see a doctor quickly and not wait for a fever. The treatment mentioned for the primary phase of borrelia is doxycycline, and some recommend taking it even before symptoms appear.

The added problem is diagnosis. One reported case notes that doctors do not prescribe antibiotics unless you arrive with the attached tick, and that the disease, if chronic, leaves lifelong sequelae. Without the parasite and without the rash, the visit may yield nothing. Another chilling testimony is from someone who nearly ended up in a wheelchair and never fully recovered.

From Wild Boars to Pest Control Companies

The skeptical reading points to an obvious conflict of interest: those raising the alarm are pest control companies, acting as both judge and party. The reasoning is that there are no health data indicating more cases or an increase in associated diseases, only people seeing many ticks where they hadn't looked before, accompanied by striking videos of swarms. The conclusion drawn—that killing rabbits and wild boars helps those proposing fumigation—is questioned.

To this adds the usual diversion. Part of the reactions blame uncontrolled wildlife for the proliferation; others blame those who protect that wildlife. There is also mention of a possible riverside fumigation campaign funded by the chemical industry. And so, a health issue ends up back in familiar political territory.

Central Europe Already Coexists With Them

In Central Europe, this conversation is old news. Specific sprays exist, local ticks are tiny, and general practitioners handle the matter routinely. But peace is relative: vaccination campaigns exist for mountain hiking seasons due to encephalitis risk, and hospitalizations requiring weeks of antibiotics are not rare. The warning to preppers is clear: taking a bite seriously is not alarmism.

With these elements, the summary is uncomfortable. A parasite capable of disabling a person for two months, a diagnosis dependent on the patient bringing proof stuck to their skin, and an alarm of dubious origin. Both things can be true at once. And so it continues, unresolved.