What happens when a tick bites. What consequences can a tick bite have on a person? Incubation period after a tick bite in humans

Knowing what to do if you are bitten by a tick can save your life during a forest walk or hiking trip. Long-term statistics from Rospotrebnadzor indicate that every year in our country over 400 thousand people officially apply for medical care due to tick attack. On average, per year doctors record 2-4 thousand cases of infection with tick-borne encephalitis and over 10 thousand cases of infection with borreliosis. From 30 to 50 infected people die and every fifth person becomes disabled for life.

Where are ticks found?

Any area of ​​vegetation is a potential habitat for ticks. There are natural landscapes where the probability of finding ticks at certain times of the year is 100%.

Maximum risk areas

Ticks are most likely to be found in bushes and grass:

In the raspberry thickets.

In the dense growth of a young aspen tree.

In damp and shaded areas of the undergrowth.

IN tall grass on the edges of the forest (sedge, wormwood, burdock and others).

In places where ferns grow in pine forests.

High-risk areas where you may encounter an encephalitis tick bite:

• wildlife trails;
• wet ravines;
• areas of wild forest and city parks protected from the sun.

Dynamics of seasonal activity

The period of active searches for a food source by ticks begins with the arrival of above-zero night temperatures in mid-April. During the first two weeks of warm spring weather, ticks reach dangerous numbers. Peak activity occurs in May and June. Hot and dry weather in summer contributes to population decline. With the onset of cool nights and humid mornings in August-September, tick attacks become more frequent. They can attach themselves to a person any day, before the onset of the first frost.

How to reduce the likelihood of dangerous infection

The tick strives to cling to everything that moves within the reach of its legs. If he manages to do this, then he begins to look for the place on the body where the most blood vessels are concentrated under the skin.

Features of the spread of tick-borne infections

A person is not a desirable hunting object for a tick. People manage to detect and remove the tick before it drinks blood and falls off on its own to continue the reproduction cycle. For him, the main source of procreation is wild animals, including rodents - rats and mice. Wild animals are universally infected with pathogenic microorganisms and viruses, which ticks transmit to humans during a bite.

Possibility of infection from a bite

More than 60 dangerous pathogens are known that are transmitted to humans during tick bites. Most common encephalitis, borreliosis, tick-borne typhus and viral fevers.

But even if the animal’s chelicerae have already penetrated the skin, there is still hope that the infection has not yet entered the circulatory system.

Timely detection and removal of ticks

When an embedded tick is detected under no circumstances should you try to crush it, or scrape it off with your fingernail. In this case, the risk of infection increases.

Safety rules after visiting the forest

Exist simple rules prevention of tick infections. This is a mandatory inspection of the body after visiting places where ticks may live. Need to inspect:

Hands, forearms and elbow joints from all sides.

Chest, abdominal area and groin.

Legs, inner thighs and knee joints.

Using a mirror you need to inspect:

Scalp and face.

Back and buttocks.

The deeper the tick is sucked, the more difficult it is to get rid of it.

Rules of conduct when bitten

How deep can a tick penetrate the skin?

The tick slowly moves its cutting apparatus under the skin. Within 10-12 hours he will have time to completely immerse himself in the body. A small tubercle with a breathing hole will remain on the surface, from which only the hind limbs will periodically appear. If the presence is noticed in time, the tick will live inside the tubercle for 2 weeks and will swell to 1.5 cm. The bite site will begin to itch and inflammation will occur. It will no longer be possible to ignore the consequences of the bite.

How to remove a tick using improvised means

At home, ticks are removed using a thread. To do this you need:

place a loop around the base of the tick head;

tighten the loop so that it tightens the tick at the surface of the skin;

carefully turn the animal counterclockwise and lightly pull the thread towards you;

It is convenient to use a thread if a tick has bitten but not completely sucked on. In order for the thread to capture the bloodsucker at the very base of the head, you need to tighten it gradually, with short and light hand movements.

Split hook

One of the reasons for infection with tick-borne diseases is mistakes when removing a tick after it has attached itself to the skin. A person himself can contribute to the infection entering the bloodstream while trying to get rid of a tick using incorrect and ineffective methods.

Consequences of incorrect tick removal

A careless attempt to get rid of a tick can lead to separation of the head from the body, which will remain under the skin after removal. It will have to be removed like a splinter, using a needle or scalpel. The tick must be delivered to the laboratory for testing in a live form to identify specific type the disease of which he is a carrier.

Questionable and ineffective methods for removing ticks

Methods for lubricating the abdomen with oil, wax and kerosene

The folk method of getting rid of ticks advises making it difficult for the animal that has attached itself to the body to breathe. For this, oil, kerosene, wax, cream, cologne and other available means are used. The organs with which the arthropod breathes are located in the back of the body. By blocking the access of oxygen, you can force the bloodsucker to crawl out from under the skin without additional mechanical force. To do this, its abdomen is lubricated. The dubiousness of the method is that the tick does not always crawl out, and when breathing is difficult, it begins to actively produce infectious saliva and release it into the wound.

Removing a tick using a medical syringe

This method is effective only on the most initial stage when the tick has just bitten, but has not yet sucked deeply. The tip of the syringe is cut off, after which it is pressed firmly against the skin with the cut part and the piston is sharply raised. Negative pressure is created, which sucks the tick into the syringe. The method is extremely dangerous. A strong blood flow is created in the bite area, microvessels burst. There is a threat of infection. If the tick sits deep, then this method is strictly contraindicated.

Forest clothing against ticks

Anatomical features of ticks

Ticks have 12 limbs. 4 rear pairs are used for movement. The processes in front are also limbs, there are two pairs of them. But they are auxiliary tools oral apparatus. The fused front pair of limbs are chelicerae, an anchor with which the tick penetrates the skin. Reverse projections and denticles on the chelicerae allow it to securely attach to top layer epidermis. Therefore, when the tick is pulled out from the bite site, these limbs are torn off along with the head and remain under the skin.

Waiting for the victim

The tick climbs to the tops of blades of grass or branches of low-growing bushes. His tactic is waiting. Having spread its first pair of legs wide, the tick is ready to grab the fur of a warm-blooded animal running past. The outer segments of the walking limbs of the tick are equipped with two sharp claws, allowing it to cling to any unevenness. Methods that allow them to quickly cling to prey limit the ability of bloodsuckers to move downward in a vertical direction. That's why they always crawl up. This should be taken into account when choosing forest clothing.

Overalls are the main protective barrier against ticks

Forest uniform (encephalitis) capable of reliably protecting against tick bites, is sewn from thick synthetic fabric. The animal's claws cannot catch on the unevenness of the material and the gaps between the individual threads. The cuffs of the sleeves and trousers are tightened with thick elastic bands that prevent the penetration of ticks. In forest workwear, the number of pockets should be minimal, and they should be patch pockets, with wide outer flaps equipped with tight fasteners. The presence of a hood and deaf mosquito net on it - definitely.

How to wear regular clothes in the forest

Compliance with the rules of wearing normal clothing in the forest is reliable prevention against tick bites.

The pants are tucked into the socks. To increase the tightness of the elastic bands of the socks, you can use ropes, laces and additional elastic bands.

Sleeve cuffs should be buttoned tightly or pulled together outside rubber bands.

Jackets and shirts are fastened with all buttons and worn with the collar raised.

Outerwear is tucked into pants, under the belt.

If there is no hood, then you can use a scarf or bandana as a headdress.

Chemical remedies

Chemical anti-tick agents form an additional protective barrier. They have an auxiliary value, and without a reliable forest suit they are ineffective.

Tick ​​repellents

Typically, products intended to combat ticks include: diethyltoluamide. Preparations made on the basis of this substance are relatively harmless to humans and have a universal effect. The smell drives everyone away blood-sucking insects and arthropods. The product is applied to both clothing and skin. The effect lasts for several hours. Modern means tick prevention products include additional components of natural origin, which increases their effectiveness.

Popular repellents

Repellents have varying degrees of toxicity and negative effects. For adults, the following products are allowed for use:

"Reftamide maximum."

"DEFI-Taiga".

“Off! Extreme."

"Deta-WOKKO."

"Gardex Extreme".

"Gall-RET".

"Medelis".

Children's medications, which can also be used by pregnant women, contain less toxic substances, so their efficiency is lower:

"Fthalar."

"Evital".

"Children's Medelix"

"OFF-children."

"DEFFY-taiga".

• "Maskitol anti-mite."

Chemical weapons (acaricides)

As chemical weapons, capable of completely eliminating the bite of an encephalitis tick, and even killing it, acaricidal drugs are used. They are intended for processing forest clothing and are not applied to the skin. The active substances included in their composition, such as alphacypermethrin , deprive arachnids of the mobility of their limbs. The ticks react instantly, and their exhausted bodies roll off the clothes. The active ingredients are toxic to humans, so there are restrictions on the use of the product on the clothes of pregnant women and children.

Effective acaricides

Examples of acaricides that have a strong toxic effect are the following:

"Gardex-extreme". Available in spray form.

"Maskitol-Spray".

"Aerosol mite-kaput."

“Anti-mite picnic.”

"Cifox."

"Reftamid taiga".

• "Pretix."

  "Anti-mite tornado."

Universal chemical protection

Row modern drugs has universal properties - it repels all insects and arachnids, and also has a poisonous effect on them. Convenient packaging in the form aerosol cans allows you to periodically and quickly apply the substance to clothing during a long stay in nature. Tents and areas of grass where it is planned to set up a tourist camp for the night are being processed.

Insecticidal and repellent agents

Anti-tick drugs with dual action against ticks include the following brands:

"Iedilis-comfort".

"Tick-kaput."

"Moskitol spray".

“Kra-rep.”

"Extreme Gardex".

"Medilis-comfort".

Anti-mite preparations for treating large areas.

To treat the area where people are expected to stay, the following means are used:

• "Samarovka insecticide."

  "Medilis-Ziper".

  "Acaritox."

  "Baytex 40% joint venture."

• "Akarifen".

  "Acarocide."

• "Cypertrine."

Traditional methods

Advantage folk recipes chemical control with pliers:

Absence of highly toxic substances.

Possibility of making from improvised materials.

The effectiveness of anti-tick medications prepared at home is significantly lower than factory-made pharmaceuticals. Compositions for spraying clothes and the body, prepared on the basis of essential oils, have a real effect on ticks:

Eucalyptus oil.

Lavender oil.

Clove oil.

Geranium extract.

Jasmine extract.

Traditional recipes against ticks

At home, using essential oils, you can make anti-tick compositions both for application to the skin and for treating clothing.

Recipe for a clothing treatment: essential oils are mixed with vinegar and water. For 30 ml. oils require 2 cups of vinegar and 1 cup of water. The components are mixed and the resulting product is sprayed onto clothing.

Recipe for applying the mixture to the skin: take 30 ml. essential oils and mix with 2 spoons of sunflower oil and 1 spoon of aloe vera gel.

To prepare an anti-tick mixture based on essential oils, you can use any of the above plant extracts that you have on hand. To repel ticks, clove oil and essential oil geraniums

Consequences of infection with tick-borne diseases

Diseases transmitted through a tick bite have serious differences in symptoms and the nature of the consequences. If you experience symptoms characteristic of an infection transmitted through a tick bite, you should immediately contact an infectious disease doctor. Delay will lead to severe forms of the disease or death.

Tick-borne encephalitis

This viral disease is inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, especially cervical region. The infection spreads in the body through macrophages contained in the blood. The disease affects brain cells and causes inflammation. Symptoms:

The incubation period lasts 1-2 weeks.

Sudden onset of fever, nausea and headache. The attack lasts 4-7 days.

Temporary improvement in well-being, lasts up to 8 days

The attack of the disease is repeated. IN severe cases paralysis occurs.

The carrier of the virus is a tick from the order Ixodidae.

The disease is bacterial in nature and has varied symptoms:

The first symptoms are a ring-shaped inflammation of the skin around the bite site.

Within 6 months after infection, damage to the brain, liver, blood vessels and joints occurs. The disease is accompanied by headache, inflammation of the lymph nodes, urination problems and fever.

After six months, the disease, if left untreated, becomes chronic, accompanied by irreversible destruction of joints and soft tissues of internal organs.

Any tick-borne disease is deadly, requires long-term treatment and significant spending on expensive medications and recovery.

The main thing that makes a tick bite dangerous for a person is the infection with pathogens of serious diseases that may end up in his saliva. The most severe of them are typhus and borreliosis. Diseases resulting from a tick bite often have complications that destroy the gray matter and lining of the brain, heart, spinal cord, and central nervous system.

Having attached itself to an area on the human body, the insect gradually absorbs blood and increases in size; it is at this time that its presence can be determined.

In most cases, signs of a tick bite are found in those areas of the body where the skin is especially thin: armpits, inner side knees, part of the head covered with hair, neck. It is in such places that a tick does not immediately become noticeable in humans. But there are times when insects are attracted to other parts, for example, a hand.

Understanding that a tick has bitten, as already mentioned, is quite difficult. Since a tick bite does not cause any unpleasant sensations in humans, it is not immediately detected. After visiting the forests or park areas You need to carefully examine your body in order to prevent possible intoxication of the body in time.

First symptoms

Let's look at the main symptoms of a tick bite in humans:

• chills;
• decreased performance, weakness;
• constant fatigue and drowsiness;
• pain in the joints;
• fear of light.

The most important and accurate sign of how to recognize a tick bite is the detection of the pest on the body. You need to look for it exactly where we have already said. First aid for a tick bite involves removing the insect. If infected, the patient undergoes treatment. This way you can avoid negative consequences.

Symptoms appearing the next day

If the attached organism was not noticed on the first day, then on the second, the symptoms after a tick bite in a person will intensify. In some cases they resemble colds, but you should be careful.

After a tick bite, the temperature usually rises to 38 degrees. This reaction is accompanied by increased heart rate and decreased blood pressure. There is itching, swollen lymph nodes, and skin rashes. Sometimes the infectious agent entering the body causes other symptoms:

• dizziness and severe headache;
• the appearance of hallucinations;
• breathing problems;
• feeling of nausea, turning into vomiting.

If a change in temperature occurs immediately after the bite, this means that allergic reaction on saliva. If the high temperature persists and does not go away for a long time, it means that an infectious agent has entered the body.

Symptoms of an encephalitis tick bite

Without timely treatment, the consequences of a tick bite can be disastrous; this also applies to encephalitis, which is a viral disease. Incubation period after the bite lasts about a month. Characteristic features will be:

• headaches and fainting;
• disruption of the heart and digestive system;
• the temperature rises to 40 degrees.

Symptoms of Lyme disease

Borreliosis is an infectious disease that negatively affects the heart, central nervous system, and musculoskeletal system. Here it is important to know what a tick bite looks like on the body. IN in this case we have a red spot that is rapidly increasing in size. If first aid for a tick bite is not carried out, then in the absence of infestation the spot disappears after 3 weeks. Lyme disease can be recognized by the following symptoms:

• headaches, joint and muscle pain;
• constant fatigue and weakness;
• hearing loss, sleep disturbance;
• sore throat, paralysis.

Everyone probably already understands what to do if they are bitten by a tick. You need to quickly contact a specialist with the problem and undergo a treatment course, if necessary. Otherwise, the disease can provoke the development of serious diseases, often leading to death.

How to recognize a bite

If the study showed that the insect is not infected, but a lump remains on the body after a tick bite, then this is a sign of improper removal or an allergy to saliva. If the lump after a tick bite does not go away and bothers the patient, it is necessary to contact a medical facility.

Most frequently asked question, of course, how to treat a tick bite? Anything will do for this. antiseptic: hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, brilliant green.

What not to do

What should you never do after a bite, so as not to aggravate the situation:

First aid

- This is scratching at the site of the bite. If the insect was removed incorrectly and its head remained in the wound, this can cause inflammation, itching and burning. If, after removing a tick, the damaged area itches and the itching does not go away for a long time, you should consult a doctor.

All that remains is to tell you how to treat a tick bite. Any alcohol-containing product is suitable for this: brilliant green, iodine or vodka. After 10 days, you should do a blood test.

Health care

The question of where to go if you are bitten by a tick sounds rather strange. Of course, any medical institution where an infectious disease specialist deals with such problems will do. Treatment after a tick bite should only be prescribed by a qualified specialist, so you should not take any medications at your own discretion. It should be noted that immunoglobulin is often prescribed for tick bites to prevent the development of encephalitis.

Antibiotics are also often used to prevent the proliferation of pathogens in case of a tick bite. It is important to remember that a specific course of treatment is formed only after a blood test is taken, which will help identify the presence of infection.

The consequences for a person after a tick bite can be very different, even leading to death. We must understand that the speed and competence of the measures taken are important here. If you do everything correctly after a tick bite, the risk of developing life-threatening diseases will be minimized.

With the arrival of spring, not only leaves and flowers bloom, but they also wake up and become more active. various insects and ticks. Ticks are arthropods; the bite of infected individuals can cause various diseases. Fortunately, no more than 20% of ticks are infected. But still, everyone should know where these pests are found, how to scare them away and what to do if the pest bites.

Where do ticks live?

The largest number of bites by these pests is recorded in the central, Ural, and Siberian regions, the smallest in the south and North Caucasus. They wake up when average daily temperature above 0-3 ̊С and live until late autumn.

Habitat forest tick- These are damp and dark wooded places. Ticks live in dry grass or bushes in damp and dark wooded areas. They cannot jump or fly, but they cling very tightly to clothing and then crawl to open areas skin. Ticks sense their approaching prey even tens of meters away, so special means protections with a strong odor help in the fight against bites by interrupting a person’s odor.

How a tick bites

Most often, pests choose a place to bite in the armpits, neck, head, lower legs, abdomen, and other folded areas. They may not bite immediately, but instead crawl on the skin for several hours. When a tick bites, it pierces the skin and attaches to it using a specific organ called the hypostome. The organ is a kind of outgrowth that performs the functions of sucking blood and attaching to the human body.

While sucking blood, the volume of the pest increases many times over. In this case, males become sated in 1-1.5 hours. Females can remain in this state for up to 10 days; they are insatiable.

Signs of a tick bite

A person practically cannot feel that he has been bitten by a tick. The pest has absolutely small size, in addition, during the sucking process, he injects his saliva, which plays the role of an anesthetic and makes the bite invisible. After puncturing the skin, it attaches to the capillaries and draws blood. As a result, his body increases in size, and it is no longer difficult to see him.

The bite site will also have characteristic features, corresponding to the type and health status of the tick, the duration of its attachment. If a sterile individual that is not a carrier of diseases has bitten, then at the site of suction there will be a small red spot with a bite mark inside.

As a result of an allergy to substances contained in the pest’s saliva, swelling may occur on the body near the bite. If the body reacts strongly, the area of ​​redness may be more than 100 mm in diameter, and severe swelling may be observed.

Additional signs are:

• the appearance of causeless drowsiness, fatigue;
• aches and pain in the joints, accompanied by chills;
• the appearance of photophobia.

As a rule, a stronger reaction occurs in weak and sick people, children, and the elderly with chronic diseases. It is for them that it is very important to quickly detect the site of a tick bite and take preventive measures.

Tick ​​bite - symptoms

Symptoms of a bite sometimes do not appear immediately, it depends on the state of the victim’s immune system. A slight increase in body temperature and blood pressure may indicate other diseases. But in combination with the appearance of rashes that itch, enlarged regional lymph nodes, and increased heart rate - these are clear symptoms of a tick bite.

If a person is in poor health, the reaction can be very strong, for example:

• nausea or vomiting will appear,
• wheezing will occur, it will be difficult to breathe,
• headaches will appear
• a state of nervous excitement may occur, up to the appearance of hallucinations.

It is very important to monitor the condition of the victim not only immediately after the bite, but also for several days. If in the first hours elevated temperature indicates an allergy to tick saliva, then in subsequent years it indicates the beginning infectious disease.

For each infectious disease there are characteristic changes in body temperature:

1. Tick-borne encephalitis. When infected, the victim's temperature rises 2-4 days after infection. The febrile state lasts 2-3 days, then the temperature returns to normal. A week later the cycle repeats.
2. Lyme Borreliosis is accompanied by a slight increase in the victim’s body temperature, always in combination with other symptoms: chills, joint pain, headache.
3. Monocytic ehrlichiosis causes an increase in temperature 8-14 days after infection, fever lasts about 3 weeks.
4. Granulocytic anaplasmosis causes an increase in temperature on the 14th day after infection.

The occurrence of at least one of the above symptoms is a reason to consult a doctor.

How to remove a tick

If you find an attached tick, you must quickly remove it, while trying not to damage its belly. Otherwise, the risk of infection from it increases significantly. It is not easy to tear off the pest; when sucking, it releases a special substance that glues the proboscis to the skin.

1. First of all, you need to shake the tick’s body a little, this will destroy the adhesive layer between it and human skin.
2. Using tweezers, special device, loops of thread need to be wrapped around the pest as close to the head as possible and gently pulled. Hand movements should be perpendicular to the surface of the skin at the site of the bite.

The most important thing is not to damage the pest’s belly. Otherwise, the sucked blood with possible pathogens will go directly into the wound. It is also not recommended to touch the tick with your hands; you should use gloves and a handkerchief.

Prevention after a tick bite

After removing the pest, the wound is washed with soap and then treated with iodine or brilliant green. If the head remains in the skin, then it can be removed, acting similarly to the principle of removing splinters, using a sterile needle.

There will be redness around the wound for several days, which will disappear within a week. This is a normal reaction of the body. But if the mark does not pass, but increases in size, then the likelihood of infection is high. And you need to get tested.

Tick ​​bite - treatment

A live tick can be tested to rule out the possibility of infection, but a more accurate result will be obtained from a blood test of the victim. If the test results confirm the presence of one of the dangerous diseases, then you must immediately contact a medical institution for the administration of immunoglobulin and other treatment procedures. The earlier the disease is detected, the greater the likelihood of a mild course of the disease.

Timely vaccination, which is carried out, including the recommendation to wear light-colored, closed clothing and use special sprays and ointments, helps to minimize the likelihood of infection even when bitten by a pest. various types pests

The first 2 diseases (tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis) are the most common; the rest are diagnosed much less frequently. Some ticks can be carriers of several infections at once, and, as a result, infect humans with several diseases at once.

How a tick bites

Female mites can remain on the skin from several hours to a week, and males are able to attach for a short time, making small bites. Therefore, for example, if a person saw a tick not attached to his skin, but simply a crawling one, there is a high probability that the tick nevertheless inflicted a bite.

Where and when are you most likely to get a tick bite?

People living in areas where diseases are endemic are at greatest risk of contracting a serious illness from a tick bite, as well as those who visit these areas during special periods - from May to mid-June and from late August to late September.

But the danger of being attacked by ticks remains throughout the warm period of the year when visiting almost any forested areas, parks and other areas where there is grass and shady shelters. You can even get a tick bite in your dacha or local area your private home, if the grass there is not mowed.

Maximum number of bites from infected ticks
is registered annually in Siberia, the Urals and the Volga region. However, a considerable number of those bitten annually seek medical help in almost all regions of Russia, including Crimea and the Caucasus.

What parts of the body do ticks mainly bite on?

Ticks are localized in the grass mainly at a height of 30 cm, and cling to the legs of those who pass by. Most often they accumulate on the grass along the paths, smelling the smell of people passing here. Sometimes they climb onto bushes and lower branches of trees.

Once on the human body, the tick begins to look for places with thin skin, which is easier to bite through, so most often it sticks to the area:

• groin,
• abdomen and lower back,
• armpits,
• breasts,
• ears and neck,
• scalp.

If you suspect a tick bite and for prevention purposes, these are the places that should be inspected most carefully after visiting the forest and park.

What does a tick bite look like?

Signs of a tick bite in a person are sometimes limited to only a small reddish spot and swelling in the wound area, and after a few days the skin takes on a normal appearance. Under the influence of saliva and microtrauma caused by the tick's mouthparts, a slight inflammation and local allergic reaction occurs on the skin. There is no pain, but in some cases there may be slight itching.

Seeing a doctor is necessary in any case, even if there are no negative reactions from the body. The course of the first stages of dangerous diseases is sometimes hidden; in addition, some diseases have a long incubation period. Only a blood test can confirm the absence of the disease.

Signs of an allergic reaction to a tick bite

An allergy occurs in response to tick saliva entering the wound. The individual reaction of the body depends on the state of health as a whole. The consequences of tick bites are more severe in allergy sufferers, children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. A mild allergic reaction can be relieved with antihistamines.

Common signs of allergies:

• weakness;
• drowsiness;
• aching joints;
• headache;
• nausea;
• dizziness,
• temperature increase;
• itching and rash in the bite area and other parts of the body.

In case of a strong individual allergic reaction, it may occur anaphylactic shock preceded by:

• difficulty breathing;
• hallucinations;
• Quincke's edema (rapid and massive swelling of the face, throat or limbs);
• loss of consciousness.

Anaphylactic shock can be relieved by administering prednisolone and adrenaline. If symptoms after a tick bite indicate a severe allergic reaction, an urgent call to the ambulance is necessary, otherwise death is possible.

Signs of the development of tick-borne encephalitis

Incubation period tick-borne encephalitis can last from 4 to 14 days. During this period, the infected person does not experience any external problems with health. Then the temperature rises sharply to 38-39 °C, the patient has a fever, loss of appetite, pain in the muscles and eyes, nausea or vomiting, and severe headache.

Then remission occurs, during which the patient feels some relief. This is the second phase of the disease, during which the nervous system is affected. Subsequently, meningitis, encephalitis, and paralysis may develop. If left untreated, death is likely.

The problem is that the signs of the disease in the initial stage are often confused with the flu and acute respiratory infections, so they do not consult a doctor, but self-medicate. When high temperature After a detected or suspected tick bite, you should not waste time - a blood test and treatment in a hospital are necessary.

Symptoms of borreliosis

If a tick carrying borreliosis is bitten, the bite site takes on the appearance of specific erythema, which gradually increases to 10-20 cm, and sometimes up to 60 cm in diameter. The erythema patch may be round, oval or irregular shape. The victim may experience burning, itching and pain at the site of the bite, but more often the first signs are limited to erythema alone.

After some time, a border of rich red color forms along the contour of the spot, while the border itself looks slightly swollen. In the center, the erythema becomes pale white or bluish. After a few days, a crust and scar forms in the area of ​​the bite, which disappear without a trace after about 2 weeks.

The incubation period before the first symptoms appear ranges from several days to 2 weeks. Then comes the first stage of the disease, which lasts from 3 to 30 days. During this period, the patient experiences muscle aches, headache, weakness, fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, stiff neck muscles, and nausea. Then, for some time, the disease can go into a latent form for up to several months, during which the heart and joints are affected.

Unfortunately, erythema is often mistaken for a local allergic reaction without being considered special significance. And malaise during the first stage of the disease is attributed to a cold or overwork at work. The disease passes into a latent form, and openly declares itself after a few months, when serious damage to the body has already been done.

Signs of the development of other diseases

An increase in temperature to 38°C or higher may indicate the onset of the development of any tick-borne infection. It is important to remember that a symptom such as fever does not occur immediately after the bite. The incubation period of some diseases can last up to 14 days (erlichiosis, hemorrhagic fever), or up to 21 days (tularemia).

Against the background of high temperature, the following symptoms may indicate the onset of the disease:

• rapid heartbeat and pressure surges;
• sore throat, coated tongue and runny nose;
• anorexia, nausea and vomiting;
• swollen lymph nodes and rash on the face (typhus);
• nosebleeds, abdominal pain, diarrhea (tularimia);
• chills, sweating, brain fog, lower back pain (hemorrhagic fever).

After a tick bite, it is necessary to measure the temperature daily for 2 weeks and monitor your health: any changes that appear cannot be ignored.

First aid for a tick bite

You should also consult a doctor if a trace is found on the skin. possible bite tick or the above-described signs of infection with any of the tick-borne infections have appeared. If necessary, after examination, the doctor prescribes an appropriate course of treatment using anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs or recommends immunotherapy.

Taking antibiotics after a tick bite is not always justified. If it is impossible to see a doctor immediately, for emergency prevention it is better to take immunomodulators (for example, yodantipyrine). Allergy sufferers can take antihistamines.

With the onset of spring in medical institutions There is a boom in the registration of tick bites. Every year up to 400 thousand Russian citizens seek medical help.

The Siberian, Ural and Volga districts suffer the most from the invasions, and the North and South Caucasus least of all. It is very important to know what to do in case of a tick bite in order to prevent unpleasant consequences.

Ticks intensify their activity during the season. It is clear that in winter there is nothing to fear, but with the onset of spring the hot season begins, which lasts until the first half of summer. The last bites are recorded in late autumn.

Symptoms and signs

Ticks are dangerous because they carry pathogens of some dangerous diseases. It's about about encephalitis, borreliosis, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis.

Most ticks are free from pathogens, but even an attack by a sterile tick poses a danger to humans because it can provoke severe allergic reactions.

Signs

The first signs that appear 2–3 hours after a tick bite:

• loss of strength, drowsiness;
• chills accompanied by aching joints;
• the appearance of photophobia is one of the distinctive features a person has a tick bite;
• skin inflammation and local allergies. The suction site turns red, acquiring a round shape, but there is no pain.

By appearance After the bite you can already tell whether the tick is sterile or has stuck to the skin or is infected. For example, infected with Lyme borreliosis (the infection affects nervous system) the insect provokes the development of a specific rash that looks like a spot.

The spot at the site of the bite can have a diameter of 10-20 cm. But there are times when it reaches 60 centimeters! Its outline is not always correct round shape, but after a while you can see a raised outer border of intense red color. In the center the spot is bluish or white. It becomes like a donut. After 2 weeks, the scar completely disappears.

The infection is easily treated with antibiotics, but it is very important to diagnose the disease in time in order to prevent terrible consequences - disability and even death.

Symptoms

In older people and children, as well as those suffering from various chronic diseases, including allergies and immunodeficiency conditions, signs and symptoms may be exaggerated. These categories of citizens are characterized by symptoms after a bite such as headache, nausea and vomiting, difficulty breathing, hoarse breathing, hallucinations and other nervous manifestations.

• temperature increase to 37–38 ᵒС;
• cardiopalmus;
• rashes and itching;
• enlargement of regional lymph nodes.

First aid

First aid for a tick bite involves properly removing the insect, transporting it to an accredited laboratory to identify pathogens, and helping the person if they have developed a severe allergic reaction.

In order to gain a foothold on the human body, a tick needs time - from two minutes to several hours. If an insect round shape And gray, this means it has already drunk blood and will have to be removed with care so as not to damage the abdomen.

Providing medical care:

1. Removing a tick. The available tool used, a thread or your own fingers, must be treated with alcohol or another alcohol-containing product, and after removal, treat the wound with this composition.
2. First aid for tick bites involves transporting a live insect in a suitable container or bag. room temperature, and if it is dead, then it must be covered with ice.
3. Attach a piece of paper to the container or bag indicating the full name of the person from whom the insect was removed, the date, time and place of discovery, as well as contact information.
4. If you cannot remove the tick yourself, you must go to the hospital.
5. If a person develops a severe allergic reaction with swelling of parts of the face, as well as difficulty breathing and muscle pain, in other words, angioedema develops, then it is urgent to give him some kind of antihistamine - Suprastin, Zyrtek, Tavegil, Claritin, Zodak Express. Of course, it is best to administer such a drug intramuscularly along with Prednisolone and provide the victim with access to fresh air.

What to do if the tick does not stick?

Many people don’t know what to do if a tick bites but doesn’t stick. During a bite, pathogens may have time to enter the body, so the insect must be tested in any case. If it managed to escape, you need to seek advice from a specialist and undergo all the necessary tests.

How to remove it correctly at home?

You can remove a tick at home, but contrary to popular belief, you do not need to apply oil, alcohol or any other liquid to it. You can’t cauterize an insect either. It is undesirable to damage its abdomen, as this increases the risk of infection. The fact is that when breathing is impaired, the insect injects saliva under the skin, which contains pathogenic microorganisms.

The actions of the victim in this case should be as follows:

1. You can remove a tick from your body using regular thread. Form a loop out of it, try to fix it on the insect as close to the head as possible and, with slow movements, slightly swaying from side to side and rotating, pull it to the surface. You need to pull perpendicular to the skin.
2. If you can’t use a thread, you can pull out a tick from a person using your fingernails, swinging it from side to side with slow movements.
3. You can use nail tweezers or devices such as Trix, Tick Nipper.
4. It is advisable to remove the entire insect without damaging it, but it happens that the head remains inside, torn from the body. A tick without a head can still live, so it must be immediately sent for analysis, and the head removed with a needle, as if you were removing a splinter.
5. To properly remove a tick, it is recommended to disinfect the wound on the body and go with the insect to the laboratory.

What to do if you are bitten by a tick during pregnancy?

Ticks are doubly dangerous for pregnant women, because the fetus inside will also be exposed to negative impact pathogens that have entered the body. In general, the measures for providing first aid and removing the insect are the same as in normal cases, with the only difference being that the insect must be tested as quickly as possible.

Before the results arrive, doctors are unlikely to do anything, as they are afraid of harming the child. Immunoglobulin injections are also not used, since there is no data on how they affect fetal development.

If a pregnant woman is bitten by a tick, to be on the safe side, you can start taking antiviral drugs, but not all of them are approved for use during pregnancy. You can take Anaferon, Viferon and Oscillococcinum without fear.

If, after receiving the test results, it becomes clear that the Tick-borne Encephalitis, then prognosis during pregnancy is quite difficult to predict. As is known, encephalitis causes paralysis of the body, and whether it will be possible in this case to endure pregnancy and give birth to a child, doctors decide in each specific case. But most often the fetus is not affected by terrible consequences.