After a long winter, the ticks woke up hungry, experts warn. These inconspicuous arthropods that parasitize, among others, on mammals they carry dangerous pathogens. There is still no effective vaccination against Lyme disease, but you can protect yourself against another lethal tick-borne disease such as tick-borne encephalitis, they reminded.
As Marta Supergan-Marwicz from the Department of General Biology and Parasitology of the Medical University of Warsaw (MUW) explains, ticks can sleep through adverse environmental conditions. If you put a tick closed in a test tube in the refrigerator, it will sleep after 2-3 hours. But as soon as we take the tube out and warm it in our hands or blow it, it will wake up and be ready to feed – explains the specialist.
Therefore, in her opinion, one should not be under the illusion that after a long winter we will be less exposed to the bites of these parasites. Especially since the ticks must wake up hungry.
These inconspicuous arthropods are external parasites of many species of mammals, birds and reptiles. At each stage of development – larvae, nymphs and adults – the tick must suck the blood of the vertebrate animal at least once in order to continue to develop.
Contrary to popular belief, these parasites do not live in trees and do not jump on passing victims. However, they lurk in the grass and low shrubs up to 1,2-1,5 meters high. A tick can only fall from a tree when it was lifted high by the bird it was trying to feed on and threw it away while cleaning the feathers, explains Supergan-Marwicz.
The research carried out by the specialist shows that we are exposed to a tick bite not only while walking in the forest or in a meadow, but also in parks and city gardens, e.g. in Warsaw’s Łazienki Park. According to the specialist, it was still safe in 2000, but already in 2009, they were full of ticks. These changes include caused by the fact that these arthropods migrate and are doing better and better in new habitats.
As Dr. Ewa Duszczyk from the Department of Infectious Diseases in Children of the Medical University of Warsaw reminds us, ticks transmit dangerous diseases. Two are the most dangerous in Poland: tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) caused by viruses from the flavavirus family and Lyme disease caused by bacteria belonging to the spirochetes.
TBE can be transmitted by any developmental form of a tick that is infected with the disease-causing viruses. In some people, the infection may be asymptomatic. After 7-10 days, the others develop flu-like symptoms, such as high temperature, pain in muscles and joints, headaches. In about one third of these patients, the disease strikes a second time after a few days of better well-being, explains Dr. Duszczyk. This is the second phase of KZM.
This time the symptoms are much stronger and more serious: very high fever, very severe headache, photophobia, nausea, vomiting, disturbed consciousness, and in some patients convulsions and loss of consciousness. If the encephalomyelitis, spinal cord or cerebellitis develops, the risk of serious complications and death increases significantly. In Poland, the mortality rate due to TBE is estimated at 1-2 percent. Even if the patient survives, the disease may leave a permanent mark in the form of muscle atrophy, headaches, balance disorders, cognitive deterioration, such as memory problems, and even personality changes, emphasizes Dr. Duszczyk.
I remember a student who had shoulder girdle atrophy due to TBE. Despite many years of rehabilitation, he did not regain the fitness of one hand and had to change the profile of his studies – recalls the specialist. He also cites the case of a scientist with the title of professor who, after suffering from CMM, had an imbalance and lost the ability to remember new things. He had to quit his job.
TBE is treated only symptomatically. However, you can protect yourself against the disease thanks to vaccinations. There are two effective and safe vaccines that can be used in children from 2 years of age. In the standard schedule, the second dose of vaccine is given 1-3 months after the first, and the third dose is given one year later.
“Now that the tick season has started, it’s too late for that. Therefore, an accelerated vaccination schedule is recommended, according to which the second dose is given after two weeks ”- explains Dr. Duszczyk. In this way, already one month after the first dose, protection is acquired (in the case of the second vaccine, the accelerated schedule requires three doses). However, remember to take the next dose after a year. It is also important to have booster vaccinations at intervals of about three years.
According to Dr. Duszczyk, vaccinations against TBE should be used primarily by people living in the endemic areas of TBE, such as the Warmińsko-Mazurskie and Podlaskie voivodships. They are also recommended for people going to these areas for tourist purposes and people who spend their time actively in the open air – collecting mushrooms and fruits of the undergrowth, kayaking and camping enthusiasts.
Vaccination against TBE does not protect against other tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease. Therefore, if we are going for a walk in green areas – to the forest, park, meadow – we should take care of appropriate clothing, emphasizes Supergan-Marwicz. It is best to dress in long pants, socks, a long-sleeved blouse and additionally spray with a repellent (the so-called repellent). The same preparations that are used to repel mosquitoes are effective here. The most popular are those that contain DEET.
Dr. Duszczyk points out, however, that in young children sprayed with DEET in high concentrations, the nerves of the limbs may paralyze. Therefore, it is not recommended to use this agent in too high concentrations and around the hands, because the child may lick it off.
According to Supergan-Marwicz, we have less chance of a tick bite when our clothes are made of artificial fabrics, because the ticks “prefer” natural fibers.
After returning from a walk in areas where ticks can feed, you should carefully check the clothes and the whole body, especially places where the skin is thinner and more delicate, e.g. on the neck and behind the ears in children, in the elbows, knees, armpits. , groin, genital area. Since the saliva of the ticks contains anesthetic compounds, the sting, as a rule, is not recorded. The shower itself is not an effective way to remove the parasite as it clings very tightly to the body.
When we find a tick, we need to remove it. According to Supergan-Marwicz, it is best to use tweezers or the so-called claws catch the parasite close to the skin and pull it out sharply, not twisting it one way or the other, so as not to damage it. The tick should not be stressed, e.g. by smearing it with fat or burning it, because then it can vomit and pass on to our blood various pathogens that it has in the salivary glands or intestines – explains the specialist. The fact that it has been fully pulled out is evidenced by the fact that it is moving. Then it has to be killed and the place from which it was taken out must be disinfected.
Specialists remind that the place after the tick bite must be monitored. When there is a circular redness that expands, the so-called migrating erythema, see a doctor immediately, it may be a sign of Lyme disease. Since erythema does not occur in all people infected with spirochetes, it is also worth paying attention to symptoms such as general breakdown, muscle pain, headache, fever or low-grade fever or drowsiness. There is no vaccine against Lyme disease. However, it can be successfully treated with antibiotics. (PAP)
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