Biologist warned about the deadly danger of tick-borne encephalitis

Biologist Antonina Oblasova warned about the deadly danger of tick-borne encephalitis and the only way to protect herself.

In an interview with Radio 1 on Monday, March 23, the expert said that counting on a mild infection means actually playing a dangerous lottery. According to her, in many people the disease is disguised as a common acute respiratory viral infection, but in a significant part of people it can move to the next phase when the virus affects the nervous system.

She noted that the situation is complicated by the lack of specific treatment: doctors can only offer supportive therapy, helping the body cope on its own. At the same time, the outcome of the disease largely depends on the subtype of the virus — the European variant is more often relatively easier, while the Far Eastern one is much more dangerous.

Oblasova clarified that with the European subtype, only a few percent of patients face severe course and risk of death, whereas in the Far East this figure can reach 30%, clarifies 360.ru .

The expert also added that not only foresters and tourists are at risk, but also any residents of endemic territories: ticks can be brought home on clothes or with animals. She stressed that vaccination remains the only reliable way to prevent it, but it only protects against encephalitis — there is no vaccination against Lyme disease (borreliosis), writes RT.

Bite and point: ticks have become more active in the center of Russia and Siberia

Interruptions in vaccines against encephalitis are observed in at least two regions of the country, Izvestia found out

On March 20, Elena Babura, head of the Department of Rospotrebnadzor of the Kaliningrad region, said that tick-borne encephalitis can be contracted without a bite. It is enough to crush the insect with your hand or not boil the milk.

On March 18, Vladislav Zhemchugov, an immunologist and specialist in especially dangerous infections, told NSN that ticks are dangerous because they carry dozens of viruses, including encephalitis, so it is important to choose closed clothes before walking in the woods in the spring. At the same time, they pose a threat not only to humans, but also to dogs.

In February, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Education Gennady Onishchenko said that people who work in forests and gardens, as well as those who like to walk in forests and fields, should be vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis. The danger remains for those who go for a walk in the woods or wild fields where ticks are active, notes Pravda.Ru .

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.