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– Warm winters favor them and there are more and more of them. But the issue of ticks, while serious, is exaggerated. It is even a psychological problem. I see panic among people, especially dog owners. They are told that if they do not apply proper prophylaxis, something bad will definitely happen. Yes, infection with Lyme disease can end in death, but do not convince people that these diseases are very common, and a walk with a dog in the forest will end tragically – says zoologist Krzysztof Dudek from the Institute of Zoology of the University of Life Sciences. Who is driving the tick obsession – producers of preparations and vaccines or ourselves?
This year is another one where the tick season started quite early.
«Most scientists indicate that climate change – mainly warm winters – is contributing to an increase in tick numbers. This is mainly due to their greater survival in winter, but also to the extension of their activity in the season, and thus – a greater chance of finding a host and reproducing »- says Krzysztof Dudek from the Institute of Zoology of the University of Life Sciences in Poznań.
It is reminiscent of studies according to which the range of occurrence of different species of ticks changes. «Thermophilic species are spreading more and more to the north. For example, in Scandinavia, where species so far more present in the south appear in the north. This means that tick species from southern Europe may well come to our area »- says the zoologist.
There is a common tick all over Poland, while to the east of the Vistula river you can find the meadow tick more and more often, considered to be a more thermophilic species – notes Krzysztof Dudek.
According to the zoologist, the issue of ticks – although serious – has recently been exaggerated and is slowly becoming a psychological problem. The scientist suggests that information about ticks should be obtained not only from the media and advertisements, but primarily from scientific sources.
«Recently, I have been seeing a lot of panic among people, especially among dog and cat owners. In short, they are told that something bad will happen to their pets if they don’t use tick prophylaxis. Of course, infection with Lyme disease or babesiosis can even result in the death of the animal, but we cannot say that these diseases are very common and walks with a dog in the forest will certainly end in infection. At the same time, more and more companies sell repellents, special collars, liquids, etc., with simultaneous marketing campaigns using not entirely scientific arguments. And people who find a tick in themselves or their animal, are persuaded to send it for a genetic test, costing 200-300 PLN, after taking it out. But even if the tests show the presence of pathogens, the probability that you have become infected, with proper tick removal, is still small »- reassures.
- A plant that ticks avoid like fire. It is worth having it at home and in the garden
Meanwhile – notices Dudek – the fear of ticks instilled by repellant producers makes people avoid contact with nature. «I myself know cases when parents do not bring their children to kindergarten, because on that day a trip to the forest is planned. In the long run, such a procedure may have much worse health consequences for the society, related to, for example, obesity, than tick-borne diseases »- he believes.
The large number of cases of Lyme disease detected in people does not necessarily mean that the increase in infections is so rapid – he adds.
«We do not necessarily have to deal with a simple translation: if more and more people get Lyme disease, it means that more ticks have it or that more people are contracting it. In the past, people also had Lyme disease, but they did not even know about it, because the disease causes non-specific symptoms. If someone removes the tick, and after some time has flu-related symptoms and goes to the doctor, today a doctor often even routinely orders a test for Lyme disease. In the past, this was not the case, and treatment was most often applied only to people who developed erythema migrans in the area of the bite, unfortunately it occurs only in about one third of those infected. The greater number of cases in recent years may result not only from the increase in the number of infections, but also from the increasingly better diagnostics of this disease »- says Krzysztof Dudek.
Lyme disease is the disease most often transmitted by ticks. According to the data of the National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene, the number of cases of infection with this disease recorded in Poland has been growing for several years. In 2012, there were 8 of them, in 806 – 2013, in 12 – 760, and in 2014 – almost 13. cases.
Ticks also transmit a disease of the central nervous system, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). The virus that causes it is infected between 3 and 15 percent. the tick population in Poland. In recent years, about 200 people a year have contracted ZKM. The greatest number of cases was in 2009 – almost 350; in 2014, almost 200 Poles fell ill. The risk of contracting TBE in Poland is unevenly distributed, the highest in the north-eastern part of the country and in the south.
You can get vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). When it comes to Lyme disease, the most effective method of prevention is to avoid tick bites. We recommend tick remedies available on Medonet Market to help deter intruders.
Ticks live mainly in deciduous and mixed forests, in grassy areas, in dense thickets, ferns, as well as in city parks and on the outskirts of housing estates surrounded by green areas. They are attracted by heat, air movement, and the smell of butyric acid in sweat. It is recommended that you wear tight pants, covered shoes and a hat over your head before going to the forest or park. After returning home, you should carefully check every place on the body, especially those that the parasites like the most – under the armpits, in the knee and elbow bends, behind the ears. If a tick is bitten, it should be removed from the body as soon as possible.