Warm and snowless winters make ticks a greater health threat, spreading dangerous diseases. Everyone who stays in parks, forests or areas where the grass is high can have contact with them. It is worth knowing effective methods of protection against these arachnids.
The tick season is in full swing. After a gentle, snowless winter, ticks pose a greater threat. These arachnids spread many serious diseases, primarily Lyme disease and tick -borne encephalitis (KZM). Not only foresters or amateurs of trips out of town, but also walkers or people running in city parks can have contact with them. Most ticks are in forest litter and in areas covered with grass. Pajęczaki also bring dogs with them.
Ticks attack even in winter. The first patient with tick -borne encephalitis has already been taken to the hospitalKatarzyna Czupryńska-Chabros/Fakt in the afternoon TVN24
Protection against ticks
Ticks are small, usually about 1.5 millimeters of length, so you need to carefully see the whole body so as not to miss them. They bite into the skin of a potential host, most often in those places where it is the most delicate – on the head, behind the ears, on the neck, arms, under the arms, in the genital area or under the knees. In order not to get sick, it's best to avoid contact with them. When going to the forest, it is worth putting on clothing with long sleeves and legs and covered footwear. It is best for the clothes to be in light color, because thanks to this the ticks wandering around them will be better.
After returning from the place where ticks may occur, you should carefully see the clothes and remove ticks from it. Above all, however, see the skin, and if we find a tick on it, also get rid of it as soon as possible. It is worth saving the date when we noticed the arachnid on our body, because there is very important information for a doctor. – I am a supporter of trying to remove ticks yourself, because in this way we gain time. Removal as soon as possible reduces the time of transmission to our body, and with them infectious material. There are special ticks in pharmacies and – bearing in mind this year's spider spider pour – it is worth having such a device at home. If we use them exactly with the instructions, the removal of a tick is not difficult – said Bożena Janicka, a family doctor and president of the Health Care Employers Agreement.
Watch out for ticksMaria Samczuk, Adam Ziemienowicz, Mateusz Krymski/PAP
How to remove a tick?
To effectively pull out the stuck tick, grab it as close to the skin as possible, and then slightly undermine it and pull up upwards. You have to try to pull it out completely. Place after the tick should be disinfected. Do not twist the tick with your fingers or crushed, as well as lubricate, because in this way we can lead to a greater amount of infectious material into the human body. If we are not sure that we will remove the tick ourselves or during the attempt at the lattice of the arachnid remained in the skin, we should go to the family doctor. If we brought a tick on the body of the forest or park, then after removing it you should observe the place of the wound after the arachnid. Initially, the infection is asymptomatic. The first symptoms may appear within 1-6 weeks of removing the tick. The most common early symptom of infection is the appearance of erythema, painless, round or oval redness on the body, which can move and disappear. – If there was a tick first, and after some time there was also redness, we immediately report to the family doctor – said Bożena Janicka. Other influencal symptoms such as drowsiness or balance disorders that can signal Lyme disease should also be disturbing. The disease is very dangerous, although diagnosed at the initial stage is completely cured, but detected in the late phase causes serious neurological and cardiological complications.
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Tick -borne encephalitis
In the case of tick-borne encephalitis after 1-3 weeks after the bite, flu-like symptoms (fever, muscle pain) may also occur, but over time serious neurological symptoms will join them, including encephalitis. The severe course of this disease can lead to disability or even death. Cleaning encephalitis is much rarer in Poland (200-300 cases per year) than Lyme disease (several thousand cases per year). However, there is no vaccine available on the market for Lyme disease, although work on it is already very advanced. There is, however, a vaccine that protects against tick -borne meningitis. – People who live or stay (for example, run) in the vicinity of forests and parks and other places where we have a flood of ticks are particularly exposed to infection and we especially recommend this vaccination. Foresters have mandatory them. Small children can be vaccinated against tick -borne encephalitis from the age of two. It is worth thinking about vaccinating toddlers, especially if they often play on the lawn – said Bożena Janicka. Following winter or early spring provides protection from the beginning of tick activity (from April to October). To effectively protect yourself from infection, it is necessary to take three doses of primary vaccination (the second dose one to three months from the first, and the third after 9-12 months from the second). The vaccine immunity lasts for at least three years, and then resembling doses are recommended.
TicksState forests
Source of the main photo: Shutterstock