The biologist pointed out the importance of vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis

Vadim Maryinsky, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Biomedical Physics at MIPT, told who the tick bite is especially dangerous for.

In conversation with aif.ru On Monday, March 16, he noted that the activity of ticks depends not so much on the general weather as on the conditions in their habitats. As soon as the snow melts, the soil dries up and stable positive temperatures are established, they begin to look for victims. At the same time, a snowy winter helps them to survive the cold better, since snow serves as a thermal insulator. Therefore, soon after the snow melts, ticks can appear in forests, fields, and even large urban parks.

In cities, according to the expert, ticks are most likely to be found in parks, especially if they look more like forest areas with tall grass and foliage.

To reduce the risk of a bite, the expert advises using repellents. Since ticks are usually found on grass and branches at a height of up to 1-1.5 m, first of all it is worth treating the lower part of clothing. Additionally, it is recommended to tuck trousers into socks, and for children to apply protective clothing along the entire length.

If the tick does stick, it is important to remove it calmly and as quickly as possible, trying not to tear it off abruptly so that parts of the oral apparatus do not remain in the skin. If necessary, it is better to contact a medical institution. After removing the tick, it should be taken to a laboratory to check for pathogens of tick-borne encephalitis or Lyme disease. Even if the parasite turned out to be a carrier of infection, this does not mean that infection has occurred — only tests can confirm this.

The expert also recalled vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis, especially for those who live or travel in regions with a high risk of infection. At the same time, the vaccine does not protect against borreliosis, but this disease is successfully treated with antibiotics.

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

Earlier on March 16, Izvestia wrote that the first tick bites were recorded in the European and Asian parts of Russia. So, in the Moscow region and the Tula region, despite the snow, arthropods have already begun to be brought for analysis.

Also on this day, therapist Olga Sultanova told the Moscow city News agency that after tick bites, Moscow doctors most often detect Lyme disease in patients. Some diseases, such as borreliosis or anaplasmosis, can occur latently without obvious symptoms. Infection is detected in the laboratory.

On March 11, general practitioner and parasitologist Eduard Bartuli said that ticks carry various infectious diseases - encephalitis, borreliosis, tick—borne encephalitis — and can infect even with a simple contact with the skin. According to him, the ways to protect against ticks are quite typical. In particular, Bartuli noted, various repellents can be used, writes RT.

On March 3, Rospotrebnadzor noted that the tick activity season had begun in Russia. As the snow melts, small mammals move closer to their homes, which increases the risks, he notes. Life.ru .

Earlier, Anatoly Altstein, a professor at the National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology named after Gamaleya, said in a conversation with NSN that when a tick is bitten, it is important to remove it from the skin and give it to the laboratory. To avoid being bitten, he called for wearing suitable clothing when hiking in the forest or field, which does not allow the tick to climb on its feet.

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