Deadly dangerous. An expert explains why ticks live in big cities

This weekend was warmer than normal, many went out of town, walked in parks, where ticks had just woken up. Plus, they also live in cities. How to behave if you find a tick on yourself or your relatives aif.ru told Head of the Laboratory of Rickettsia Ecology, NICEM named after. Gamaleya of the Ministry of Health of Russia Alexey Kostarnoy.

Can ticks live in a city and not in a forest or park?

Ticks can live in any area where there are plants and food animals, including dogs and small rodents. Therefore, you can meet ticks both in nature and in urban environments.

Why is it important to protect yourself from ticks?

Ticks are carriers of viral and bacterial infections, some of which are deadly to humans. Dangerous bacterial infections associated with tick bites include tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis (Lyme disease) and rickettsial infections. If the diagnosis is made incorrectly or specific treatment is prescribed late, this can lead to complications and, in some cases, death.

The most dangerous viral infection associated with tick bites in Russia is tick-borne encephalitis. In case of infection with tick-borne encephalitis, death can occur a week after the tick bites. In many regions, people are required to be vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis virus. If you are planning a trip to nature, especially in endemic regions, be sure to take care of vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis.

In the case of tick-borne spotted fevers caused by rickettsia (rickettsiosis) and Lyme disease (tick-borne borreliosis), timely diagnosis and prescription of specific antibiotic therapy are necessary. Do not self-medicate; most infections transmitted by ticks can only be treated with specific therapy selected by a doctor.

How to protect yourself from ticks?

Before going out into nature (to the forest, forest park, city park, summer cottage), it is advisable to wear closed, plain clothes in light colors. Clothes should be carefully tucked in, without leaving any exposed skin – tuck a shirt or long-sleeve sweater into trousers, and trousers into socks. You need to choose closed shoes that prevent ticks from crawling in. Before going out, you need to treat your clothes with repellents (tick aerosol), special attention should be paid to your feet and shoes. During and after a walk, it is necessary to conduct periodic self-examinations of clothing for the presence of ticks. After a walk, you should take off your clothes and shoes and put them in a separate place. It is necessary to conduct a self-examination of the body, paying special attention to the areas of the lower back, armpits, neck and scalp, groin area and legs.

What to do if you find a tick on yourself?

If you find a tick attached to you, do not touch it with your bare hands or try to crush it. If you remove a tick yourself, parts of its mouthparts may remain in the victim’s skin. It is necessary to consult a doctor at a trauma center; the doctor will safely remove the tick and prescribe the necessary tests.

You must contact a medical facility if you experience the following symptoms: fever, rash, severe headache, confusion, unusual redness, swelling or crusting on the skin.

How to properly remove a tick?

If you find a tick attached to you, do not try to remove the tick yourself. If you remove a tick yourself, parts of its mouthparts may remain in the victim’s skin. You need to go to a trauma center, where the doctor will safely remove the tick and prescribe the necessary tests.