Everyone knows that ticks can carry dangerous infections that can be contracted through the bites of these insects. Ukraine (in particular, the Kyiv region) is considered an endemic region in terms of the incidence of borreliosis - an infectious disease transmitted by ticks. To prevent this, listen to the recommendations of a pediatrician, infectious disease specialist of the Dobrobut Medical Center Gaponova Stanislava Oleksandrivna.
Contrary to numerous fears, in Ukraine there have been no registered cases of tick-borne encephalitis - an infection transmitted by ticks. In the latitudes of our country, ticks are carriers of such infectious diseases as anaplasmosis, babesiosis and borreliosis. The first two are extremely rare, and 1-3% of ticks in our region are infected with borreliosis. When bitten by an infected tick, infection occurs in 30% of cases. This is a fairly high percentage. Therefore, it is important to take preventive measures in time to avoid contracting this dangerous disease.
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease (Lyme disease) is a bacterial infection caused by one of the species of Borrelia (Borreliaburgdorferi) from the Spirochaetae family. The incubation period of Lyme disease lasts from two to 30 days. The disease has three stages.
The first stage is characterized by the appearance of a spot with a diameter of about five cm around the site of the tick bite, which has a lighter center and a pink ring around the edges. In some cases, other rings may appear on the periphery of the spot. Occasionally, it can be localized separately from the bite site.
If Lyme disease is not treated in the first stage, the second stage of the disease develops in about 2-3 months. At this stage, the infection spreads in the blood and can affect the joints and heart.
The third stage, if left untreated, develops in about 2-3 years. At this stage, borreliosis affects the brain.
Correct behavior immediately after the bite prevents the disease from progressing to the severe second stage and the even more severe third.
What to do if you are bitten by a tick?
Lyme disease is currently a poorly understood disease, and in Ukraine there is still no officially approved protocol, so doctors' recommendations on how to behave when bitten by a tick may differ slightly: depending on which protocol the specialist is guided by: American or European.
- Do not remove the tick yourself! It is advisable that a specialist in the emergency room do this. The insect should be removed as soon as possible. If possible, it is recommended to leave the tick alive. But even if it is dead, it is important to take it to the sanitary and epidemiological station to determine whether it is infected. In Kyiv, you can submit a tick for analysis to the laboratory of the department of especially dangerous infections of the Kyiv City SES at the address: st. Estonska, 3, tel.: (044) 422 01 32.
- Further tactics depend on the result of the analysis and on how long the tick was on the body. If the analysis for infection is negative or it was not possible to submit the insect for examination, but less than 12 hours have passed, preventive treatment is not required. In this case, the bite site should be observed (preferably under the supervision of an infectious disease doctor) for 2-3 weeks, and then a blood test for borreliosis should be taken.
- If the analysis of the tick confirmed the presence of borreliosis or the tick was on the body for more than 12 hours, the infectious disease doctor prescribes preventive treatment with antibiotics. This is a long course that replaces treatment in case of infection.
If symptoms of the disease appear, in no case do not self-medicate! The course must be prescribed by an infectious disease doctor.
Prevention of tick bites
Unfortunately, tick repellents do not help much, so you will not be able to protect yourself from their bites with the help of special “repellents”. In addition, repellents should not be used on children. Sometimes closed clothing can protect against bites. You should also carefully examine yourself after being outdoors. The tick does not attach immediately, but crawls on the body for some time, so it can be noticed. Often people already know the places where there are many ticks. If you know that there are a lot of these harmful insects in the forest belt or grove, avoid walking in the area.
