The therapist gave advice on protection from tick attacks

To protect against ticks, it is necessary to wear light-colored clothes with long sleeves and trousers, treat them with special means and regularly check yourself and clothes for the presence of insects. Alexander Potievsky, a therapist at the Ingosstrakh Virtual Clinic service, told Izvestia on March 4.

According to Margarita Volkova, an infectious disease specialist at the Be Healthy Clinic, tick-borne viral encephalitis is a naturally occurring viral infection transmitted through the suction of an ixodic tick and affecting the central nervous system. The main route of transmission is transmissible, that is, through the suction of a tick, less often — alimentary (when using raw milk from goats and cows). Human-to-human transmission is not possible.

As the infectious disease specialist noted, the infection can occur in a mild form, resembling the flu, and pass in a few days. However, in some people, the disease can cause more severe symptoms such as meningoencephalitis, paralysis, prolonged asthenia, and sometimes disability.

"Ticks can carry various diseases. For example, black-footed ticks may be carriers of the bacterium that causes Lyme disease or protozoa that cause babesiosis. Other types of ticks can carry the bacteria that cause American tick—borne rickettsiosis, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis," the expert noted.

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As the therapist emphasized, when visiting forests, he recommended wearing light-colored clothes with long sleeves and pants that fit snugly to shoes. The cuffs of the sleeves should be tight, and long hair tucked under the headdress. It is also recommended to treat clothes with tick repellents.

He noted that it is worth avoiding lying in the grass, and after leaving the forest, be sure to inspect your clothes and check yourself for ticks. It is also important to familiarize yourself with information about ticks before entering potentially dangerous areas.

"If the tick has stuck, you should go to the emergency room as soon as possible to remove it or remove it yourself without crushing or damaging the tick (now pharmacies and online sell special tick removers for people and animals if it is difficult for someone to remove the tick with a thread). When removing a tick, you should not put pressure on it so that infected saliva does not enter the wound," he said.

In addition, the doctor strongly recommended that the tick be examined. To do this, it must be placed in a tightly sealed container with a damp cloth. If tick donation is not possible, the diagnosis of tick-borne diseases can be carried out by blood tests, concluded Potievsky.

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Experts warn of the dangers of rickettsiosis

On the same day, Rospotrebnadzor announced that the tick activity season had begun in Russia. It was noted that experts associate the risks with active snowmelt, which is why small mammals (tick vectors) begin to move closer to residential buildings and settlements.

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