(ORDO NEWS) — The most favorable season for ticks is coming, and soon the first bitten ones will begin to arrive in the emergency room. How to avoid their fate and save yourself from a tick bite?
The best prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is a timely vaccination. But here are a few more ways to help reduce the chance of being bitten.
It is important to understand that not all ticks are carriers of encephalitis, however, with a long stay in nature, several insects can bite a person at once, and then the risk of getting this deadly disease increases many times over.
In addition to tick-borne encephalitis, ticks can also carry Lyme disease – it is not as dangerous as encephalitis, but it is more common.
Lyme disease or tick-borne borreliosis are treated with antibiotics – they must be taken within 48-72 hours after the bite. Possible symptoms include the following:
- Hyperemia (redness) at the site of the bite
- Increase in body temperature
- Headache
- Joint and muscle pain
- Fast fatigability
- Body aches
- Chills
Tick-borne encephalitis is caused by viruses, so an antibiotic will not help against it. In this case, the introduction of immunoglobulin and symptomatic therapy is necessary.
Vaccination is the best way to protect against this dangerous infection. But it must also be done on time, since 2 months must pass between two injections of the vaccine, and after the last one, it is necessary to wait another 14 days until immunity is developed.
How to protect yourself from a tick bite
First, it is important to understand the peak of tick activity – this is May and September. Therefore, it is best to make the first vaccination against encephalitis in March or late February.
But these are not all measures – after all, the vaccine does not protect against a bite, and also against borreliosis.
However, experts from the Ministry of Emergency Situations offer measures to help reduce the likelihood of a bite:
- You should prepare for a trip to nature in advance and wear light-colored clothes, on which ticks will be clearly visible during examination
- Tuck trousers into boots, stockings or socks with a tight elastic band, and the upper part of the clothes into trousers, as the flares begin to crawl from the ground and rise up the limbs. Such a measure will not allow them to get on the skin.
- Treat clothes with a tick repellant
- Do not sit or lie down on the grass
- Conduct regular inspections – every 10-15 minutes
- Do not bring clothes and plants at home that may have ticks – first they should be carefully examined
inspect animals walking in nature, as very often they bring ticks with them
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