Who are ticks and why are they dangerous
As soon as the snow melts, bloodthirsty hunters are already waiting in the places of windbreak and branches. Parasites hibernate in last year's foliage, waking up, in search of prey, they crawl onto blades of grass, twigs no higher than half a meter, migrate with the help of mammals: stray dogs, cats, rats. Therefore, you can meet a bloodsucker absolutely everywhere.
Ticks are ideal hunters, ruthless and tireless, and very patient. They can sit for days and wait for the right moment to attack. They have neither sight nor hearing, but they can detect heat and smell at a distance of 20 meters with the help of their front paws, on which the skin sense organs are located.
There, on the paws, there are tenacious claws, with the help of which they easily move to the victim, upon contact with it. Then they actively look for areas with thin skin and stick. With the help of a harpoon-like proboscis and a sticky substance, bloodsuckers cling tightly to the skin. The head of the tick will stay in the skin, even if the body is torn off.
The moment of the bite remains invisible to humans; the saliva of the arachnid contains an anesthetic.
The taiga tick is considered the most dangerous. It is he who suffers encephalitis, in addition, every third individual is infected with borreliosis. In both cases, the central nervous system is affected. In addition, these small parasites carry dozens of other infections.
How is encephalitis transmitted?
In order for an infection to occur, an infected tick only needs to stick to the body. But not only the bite is dangerous to humans. If you crush the parasite, the virus can easily enter the body through microcracks in the skin, scratches or through scratching.
Eating raw milk or products made from it: cottage cheese, butter, sour cream is fraught with infection. Since goats and cows are exposed to a mass attack of bloodsuckers and can transmit the virus through milk, it and its products should be subjected to heat treatment.
In what regions do encephalitic ticks live and where can you meet them
The disease of tick-borne encephalitis is registered in many regions of Russia, where its main carriers are found - ixodid ticks. The most disadvantaged in terms of morbidity are:
- Northwestern;
- Ural;
- Siberian;
- Far Eastern;
- in the Southern Federal District - Crimea and Sevastopol;
- closer to the Moscow region - Tver and Yaroslavl regions.
All people, regardless of gender and age, are susceptible to infection with tick-borne encephalitis.
Citizens lie in wait for parasites in parks, summer cottages, picnics, in suburban forests, by the river, in the field. Especially endangered are people who, by the nature of their activities, stay in the forest for a long time:
- gamekeepers;
- hunters;
- tourists;
- railway builders;
- power lines;
- oil and gas pipelines.
Prevention of infection with tick-borne encephalitis
There are a number of preventive measures, in addition to simple ways to use special gels and creams.
Site processing
As soon as spring comes into its own, all plants start to grow. At the same time, pests of gardens and orchards are activated. Some pose a danger to humans and their pets, primarily cats and dogs. Ixodid bloodsuckers, like herbivorous ticks, are arthropods that are dangerous - they carry various diseases and destroy crops. To get rid of pests in a summer cottage, especially if small children run around it, it is advisable to prepare preparations for processing in advance. Among the many means that are capable of suppressing the development of these organisms, there are suitable ones in terms of price and effect. You can invite a specialist who will professionally select acaricides, taking into account the characteristics of the site. With the help of professional equipment: a cold and hot fog generator, the area is evenly covered with insecticide, and under high pressure knocks ticks from their homes. In addition, such processing eliminates the chemical impact on any food products growing in the garden. Processing of the territory is carried out throughout the area, including lawns, shrubs and other green spaces. The paths and paths that people, four-legged friends and other visitors love to walk on are especially carefully processed.
Repellent and insecticidal
There are very effective chemical agents for protecting a person from ticks and they are divided into three groups: repellents, acaricides or combined preparations. Repellents have deterrent properties. Feeling an unpleasant smell, the parasites turn around and crawl away, while remaining safe and sound. The main active ingredient in the composition of repellents is diethyltoluamide. The effectiveness of such funds is 95%. Some sprays can be applied to the skin. Acaricides are toxic to humans and are applied only to clothing, but this is a more reliable protection. The active ingredient is alphacypermethrin. Process clothes in stripes, especially around the ankles, hips, waist and cuffs of the sleeves, collar, along the edge of the hood. Such drugs have a paralyzing effect on the tick: for some time it zigzags up, and then its limbs are taken away, it falls to the ground and dies. Insecticide-acaricide products are used to treat the territory in summer cottages, according to the instructions.
Nonspecific prevention of tick-borne encephalitis
With the help of nonspecific prophylaxis, tick-borne encephalitis is prevented.
- Use special protective suits or other adapted clothing that should not allow ticks to crawl through the collar and cuffs.
- A long-sleeved shirt is tucked into trousers, the ends of the trousers into socks and high boots. The head and neck are covered with a scarf or hood. Things choose light, not colorful shades. All this refers to non-specific prevention.
- Repellents are good for protecting against ticks - repellents that are used to treat clothing and exposed areas of the body. Suitable and folk remedies.
- Periodic inspections of clothes and body on your own or with the help of other people, and everything on which you can bring the parasite into the house: bouquets, twigs, bedding from a picnic - reliable protection against a bite and tick-borne encephalitis.
First aid for a victim of a tick bite
If it so happens that the parasite sticks, remove it as soon as possible, trying not to tear off the proboscis, immersed in the skin. It is better to do this with a doctor in the clinic at the place of residence or any trauma center.
You can try to do it on your own, because the longer the tick is in the body, the greater the likelihood of infection. It should be removed very carefully so as not to crush. For this, tweezers are suitable, they grab the bloodsucker by the mouth apparatus and rotate his body around the axis.
After removing it from the skin, the bite site is thoroughly disinfected with alcohol, hands are washed thoroughly. If the head or proboscis is still torn off, smeared with iodine, after a while the remnants will come out on their own. The tick should be delivered to a laboratory or sanitary and epidemiological station for research.
At the first clinical manifestations of the disease, such as fever, headaches, myalgia, it is worthwhile to immediately seek medical help for people who have a history of tick bite or stay in a territory endemic for tick-borne encephalitis.
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