Contents
According to the WHO, 10-12 thousand cases of infection with tick-borne encephalitis are recorded in the world every year. In Russia, this figure is lower – about 2 – 3 thousand people. It seems not much, however, this disease is very dangerous, the mortality rate from it is 20-25%, and 10-20% of those who are ill have serious neurological problems for the rest of their lives.
Absolutely anyone can become infected with tick-borne encephalitis, regardless of gender and age. The disease is transmitted to humans by ixodid ticks – they live in grass, meadows and forests. It is believed that out of 100 ticks, 6 are carriers of infection. However, in Russia there are regions where there are especially many of them.
| In the Central Region: | In the Urals region: |
|---|---|
| Ivanovo region | Kurgan region |
| Kostroma region | Sverdlovsk region |
| Moscow region (Dmitrovsky and Taldomsky districts) | Tyumen Region |
| Tver region | Khanty-Mansiysk |
| Yaroslavl region | Chelyabinsk region |
| In the Volga region: | In the Northwestern region: |
|---|---|
| Kirov region | Arkhangelsk region |
| Nizhny Novgorod region | Vologda region |
| Orenburg region | Kaliningrad region |
| Perm | Karelia |
| Bashkortostan | Komi |
| Mari El Republic | Leningrad Region |
| Tatarstan | Novgorod region |
| Samara region | Pskov region |
| Udmurtia | St. Petersburg |
| Ulyanovsk region |
| In the Southern District: | In the Far Eastern District: |
|---|---|
| Crimea | Amur Region |
| Jewish Autonomous Region | |
| In the Siberian region: | Primorsky Krai |
| All regions | Sakhalin Region |
| Khabarovsk Krai |
Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis
After a person has been bitten by a tick, the virus enters the tissues and begins to multiply actively there. Then it passes into the blood and lymph. And then it enters the brain.
The first signs of the disease do not appear immediately – the incubation period of the virus usually lasts 10 – 14 days. But then the disease develops rapidly. Her symptoms are:
- the temperature rises sharply – up to 38 – 39 ° C;
- chills;
- severe headaches;
- nausea and vomiting begin;
- muscles hurt – in the neck, shoulders, chest and lower back, in the arms and legs;
- hyperemia on the face.
Then signs of brain damage are added:
- paralysis of the arms and legs occurs;
- strabismus appears;
- convulsions begin;
- the patient loses consciousness.
However, the incubation period does not always last about two weeks, there are other options for the development of tick-borne encephalitis:
Lightning development. In this case, the first symptoms appear within a day after the tick has bitten. This is a very dangerous option, if you do not seek medical help in time, paralysis of the central nervous system, coma and death occurs.
Protracted development. With this option, the incubation of the virus can last a month or even more.
Treatment of tick-borne encephalitis
Tick-borne encephalitis develops in different ways, depending on where the person is infected. There are two options for the course of the disease:
- European, when the disease proceeds in 2 stages: the first week the symptoms are very similar to the common flu, and only then the nervous system is affected;
- Far Eastern – it usually appears abruptly: fever begins, followed by other symptoms, then paralysis sets in, coma, and after 6-7 days a person may die.
Therefore, it is important not to delay visiting a doctor and not self-medicate – it may seem to you that this is a banal flu, but it turns out that everything is much worse.
Diagnostics
First of all, the doctor will interview the patient, find out if there were any tick bites, or if they visited dangerous areas.
Then a tomography is performed to understand if there is inflammation of the brain, how severe the damage is. In parallel, a blood test for antibodies is done to determine the presence of the encephalitis virus.
Modern treatments
In the treatment of encephalitis, patients are given antibodies – serum immunoglobulin and homologous polyglobulin. They are obtained from the donated blood of people who live in the foci of the spread of encephalitis ticks.
If signs of damage to the nervous system appear, corticosteroids are used. In very severe cases, forced ventilation may be required.
Treatment usually lasts 2 to 3 weeks. But after another 2 years, you will need to see a doctor. And take care of yourself – after curing the disease, patients should not be engaged in hard work and avoid mental strain. And it will be necessary to walk more often in the fresh air.
Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis at home
The best prevention against tick-borne encephalitis is vaccination. Vaccinations are mandatory for all people living in unfavorable areas, where infected ticks are found.
In Russia, both domestic and foreign vaccines are used for vaccinations. It needs to be vaccinated every 3-5 years.
In addition, you must follow the rules for visiting forests.
What should be the clothes:
- light and plain – ticks are better visible on this one, they can be detected in time;
- with long sleeves;
- the collar and cuffs must be close to the body;
- the grunt needs to be tucked into pants, pants – into shoes or socks;
- on the head – a hood or scarf.
How to behave in the forest:
- do not sit or lie down on the grass;
- do not camp on the grass for the night – the tent should be set up on bare ground or in pine forests on sandy soil;
- inspect clothes, body and hair as often as possible.
But it’s even better to go to the forest in overalls – this is ideal for protection against ticks. And be sure to treat clothes with special preparations for ticks – they are sold in stores.
How not to bring ticks home:
- do not collect bouquets of wild plants in the forest;
- carefully inspect pets after each walk.
Popular questions and answers
Answers questions about tick-borne encephalitis PhD, virologist Anna Demina.
Complications depend on the severity of damage to the nervous system. The febrile form is most often not dangerous – almost all patients are on the mend. With the meningeal form, the chances of recovering are also great, but chronic migraines may appear.
The polio form is the most dangerous. In the best case, you can remain disabled for life – paralysis develops, convulsions appear, mental abilities decrease. Mortality in this form of encephalitis reaches 30%.
This is the most common way of infection, however, there are other options.
● If you crushed a tick on an animal, and you had wounds on your hands, it is likely that the virus will enter the bloodstream through them.
● When drinking raw cow, buffalo, sheep and goat milk – the last in this regard is the most dangerous, because animals can be bitten by ticks, and the virus easily gets into milk and not only – it can be in sour cream, cottage cheese and other products made from raw milk. In order not to get infected, the milk must be boiled.
Most often, encephalitis is infected in the spring – after hibernation, ticks are very hungry and most active. In some regions, there are two peaks of infection: spring in May-June and autumn in August-September.