Tick season: how to protect yourself and what to do in case of a bite

Newswires are full of alarming reports: the number of visits to Russian clinics for tick bites has increased significantly. As of early June, Rospotrebnadzor has recorded about 160 thousand laboratory tests of ticks, and about 2.2 million people have been vaccinated against encephalitis. Warm April in the middle zone led to the fact that the “tick season” began even earlier than usual, and in June calls to be more careful in nature are heard more and more actively. Dmitry Troshin, general practitioner, family doctor of the European Medical Center, tells about what to do if you find a tick on yourself and how it can be dangerous.

What are the dangers of ticks?

Ticks are carriers of bacteria and viruses. The tick-borne encephalitis virus is very dangerous for humans, and bacteria such as borrelia, anaplasma, rickettsia and ehrlichia should also be feared. If they get into the body, they cause serious diseases.

Unfortunately, many people forget that the danger is not only those ticks that bit you. If you drink raw – unpasteurized – milk in areas where there are encephalitic ticks, you can also get infected. In addition, a tick can be brought into the house by an animal. And it happens that the infection gets into the wound on the skin when brushing.

So it is not only ticks that are dangerous: in principle, you should be careful when you are on the territory where these insects can be.

When are ticks most dangerous?

The periods of peak danger vary from region to region. The general recommendation is as follows: you should be more careful with the onset of warm spring and snow melt. The most dangerous season starts in May.

How to protect yourself from ticks?

First of all, it is necessary to clarify which areas are considered endemic. The risk of getting a tick is everywhere, but a number of regions are included in the so-called “red” zone for encephalitis and other infections. If you are going to travel to one of them, it is better to get vaccinated in advance.

Of course, it is desirable to avoid tick bites, even if you are immunized. Recommendations are very simple and they do not change from year to year. If you go to the forest, clothes should be with long sleeves, pants better tucked into socks and high shoes. After all, ticks often bite in the wrists and ankles, which are exposed. Do not forget about the neck and head: wear a hat or headscarf, use neck scarves or choose sweaters and jackets with a high collar. It is better if the clothes are light-colored: on it ticks are clearly visible and can be removed in time. When you are in the forest, examine yourself from time to time: so the insect can be noticed before it has time to bite.

In the hot season, many people do not want to follow these recommendations, closed clothing is not very comfortable, but the consequences of a tick bite are too dangerous.

What to do if you find a tick on yourself?

Ideally, to remove the tick correctly and completely, it is necessary to contact a specialist (with improper removal in the skin is often left in the head of the insect). But such an opportunity is not always available, so you can do the following on your own:

1. Take the tick with tweezers or clean hands, hold it as close to the head as possible and turn it around the axis. In this way you kind of twist the tick out of the skin.
2. Disinfect the bite site.
3. Wash your hands with soap and water.
4. Put the tick in a closed container, where you also put a piece of wet absorbent cotton. Write down the date of the bite, the time if possible, and the area where the infection occurred. This information is important for doctors.
5. If you can not immediately bring the tick for analysis, put the container in the refrigerator. It can be stored for no more than three days; beyond that, the tick is unusable for analysis.
6. Bring the container to the laboratory.

If you were in an endemic area and you are not vaccinated, it is worth injecting immunoglobulin, but within 72 hours after the bite.