How to protect yourself during tick season - advice from an infectious disease specialist
Kyiv • UNN
An infectious disease specialist explained where the greatest risk of encountering ticks is, how to protect yourself and what to do if a tick does bite.
Along with the spring weather, another, less pleasant, phenomenon has come to Ukraine, namely the tick season. Candidate of Medical Sciences Viktoriya Klyus told the UNN correspondent how to protect yourself from ticks and what to do if you still failed to avoid this annoying meeting.
The tick season starts in March, when the soil temperature reaches +5…+7°C, and in May-June these insects reach their maximum activity level.
Where is the greatest risk of encountering ticks
The most ticks should be feared in park areas where people can walk with children and dogs. Also in forests and plantations. Their main habitat is grass and bushes, not trees, as is often thought
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In this regard, the doctor advises to stick to already trodden paths during walks and not to climb into thickets. You should be most wary of dry trees, bushes and grass, where ticks are most often found.
Tick prevention
When walking in such places, you should wear light-colored clothes so that you can immediately notice the tick if necessary. You should also wear pants that are tucked into socks, as ticks can get under clothing
She also advises not to neglect aerosols from ticks, which should be applied to clothing. Klyus emphasized that the effect of repellents disappears after six hours, so if the stay in nature lasts longer, you need to use the aerosol again.
After returning home, you need to shake out all your clothes, or better yet, wash them at all. And of course, you need to carefully examine yourself.
"Most often, ticks choose the nape of the neck, the groin area, under the knees. They can also hide behind the ears. It is also important to carefully examine our smaller friends," the infectious disease specialist explained.
If the tick got to you
"The tick must be removed immediately. If possible, you should immediately contact a medical facility. If there is no such possibility, then you should not delay, you must act on your own to avoid further infection," the doctor explained.
The tick should be pulled out with a dry cloth. You need to catch the tick and twist it clockwise or counterclockwise. You can also use a thread - hook the tick with it and pull.
"You don't need to lubricate with anything, because, for example, cologne can kill the tick, and this is even worse, because poisonous substances can be released and cause infection," Klyus said.
Keep the tick alive
In case of successful removal of the tick alive, it should be taken to the laboratory and checked for Lyme disease. Klyus paid special attention to the fact that it is impossible to detect the disease in a dead tick.
"For the prevention of infection, it is worth taking doxycycline, 200 milligrams, once within 72 hours, but if you do it later, there will be no effect. Then you need to contact a doctor directly, who will prescribe a course of treatment," Klyus summarized.
Reference
Lyme disease, also known as tick-borne borreliosis, is an infectious disease caused by spiral-shaped bacteria of the genus Borrelia. Their main vector is the ixodid tick. The disease has several stages of progression and affects various systems of the body, including the skin, joints, nervous and cardiovascular systems.
The symptoms of Lyme disease can mimic many other diseases, which complicates diagnosis and timely treatment. And in advanced forms, the pathology can lead to disability due to chronic arthritis, neurological disorders and other complications.
