Due to the rainy and cold beginning of summer, this year ticks are most aggressive right now – in the middle of June.
At the Ministry of Health reminded, how dangerous their bites are and what to do if this happens.
Ticks are carriers of pathogens of many diseases, including Borrelia. After their bite, several dangerous diseases can develop – tick-borne viral encephalitis, Lyme disease, granulocytic anaplasmosis, monocytic ehrlichiosis, Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, tularemia and others.
With Lyme disease, erythema appears at the site of the bite, there is a headache, body aches, lethargy. Erythema is redness of various shades, the size of a 5-hryvnia coin. It may appear in 2-30 days, gradually increases in size, does not itch and does not hurt.
Untimely treatment threatens damage to the skin, joints, muscles, nervous and cardiovascular systems, and as a result – disability. The longer the tick is on the skin, the higher the risk of contracting Lyme disease – during the day the probability of infection is low, and at the end of the third it is almost one hundred percent.
Headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and sleep disturbances may indicate infection with encephalitis. It predominantly affects the central nervous system, which can lead to disability and sometimes death.
First of all, if a tick has bitten, the Ministry of Health advises not to panic and, if possible, contact the emergency room. They will help you pull out the tick and tell you what to do next.
If there is no doctor nearby, you need to remove the tick yourself. It is important to remove it together with the proboscis. If it comes off, then you can remove the remnants with a sterile needle like a splinter, but also the proboscis can come out on its own.
After removing the tick, the wound must be treated with an antiseptic, and the hands must be washed with soap and also treated.
As soon as the opportunity arises, you need to see a doctor. Especially if erythema appears at the site of the bite. The Ministry of Health does not recommend taking tests or taking antibiotics on your own, as well as carrying a tick to the laboratory.
“Analysis in the laboratory in our realities is uninformative. Detected Borrelia does not mean that you are already infected with Lyme disease. Likewise, the absence of Borrelia does not mean that you will not get sick.“, – said in the message.
Earlier “Apostrophe” told, how to protect yourself from tick bites while walking in the park or on a picnic.
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