How to prevent tick attacks and sucking? What to do if you find a tick on yourself?
The leaflet was prepared based on materials from Doctor of Biological Sciences N.I. Shashina, Research Institute of Disinfectology
Why are ticks dangerous?
Ticks are bloodsuckers. When sucking blood, they can transmit pathogens such as: tick-borne viral encephalitis, ixodid tick-borne borreliosis, Crimean hemorrhagic fever, tick-borne rickettsiosis, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, human monocytic ehrlichiosis.
On average, about 6 thousand people affected by tick bites visit treatment and prevention organizations in the Kostroma region every year. Between 5 and 15 percent of all ticks examined are infected with tick-borne encephalitis virus.
Where are ticks found?
Ticks are found throughout the Kostroma region; carriers of tick-borne viral encephalitis prefer moderately humid coniferous-deciduous forests. Ticks are found in forested areas of cities, cemeteries, and summer cottages.
When do ticks occur?
Ticks “wake up” in early spring - in April-May, as soon as the snow melts. The number reaches its peak in late May - June. In July there are fewer ticks, and in August there is a second slight rise. Despite the fact that in August-September there are relatively few ticks, there are many cases of ticks attacking people, since during this period people often go into the forest to pick berries and mushrooms.
What do ticks look like?
The most dangerous are taiga and forest ticks. The size of female ticks is 3 - 5 mm, the front part of their body and 4 pairs of legs are dark brown, and the back part is brick red. The body of all developmental phases of ticks is oval, in front there is a cone-shaped dark protrusion (often called the head), which consists of three parts: the central part (proboscis), which, when sucking blood, plunges into the skin of humans or animals, and 2 side parts that remain on the surface. Males are smaller than females and darker. The saliva of ticks, which contains pathogens, enters the victim's body.
Only a specialist can accurately determine the genus and type of ticks.
Therefore, ANY TICK ATTACHED SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.
How do ticks attack?
Ticks wait for prey on grass, less often on bushes, but they never crawl onto trees, fall or jump from them. As soon as a person is near a tick, the tick clings to the skin and clothing and crawls upward until it finds a secluded place under the clothing to attach itself to the body. This takes on average 30 minutes. Ticks always crawl upward, so they are found in the armpits, groin, back, neck and head.
Self- and mutual examinations to detect ticks must be carried out every 15 - 20 minutes.
How to protect yourself from ticks?
When going out into the forest, park or any area where ticks are found, it is necessary to dress in such a way as to prevent ticks from crawling under clothing and to facilitate a quick inspection to detect clinging ticks.
The effectiveness of protection increases many times over when treating clothing with special aerosol chemicals - acaricidal (kills ticks), repellent (repels ticks) or acaricidal-repellent (repels and kills at the same time).
These products should never be applied to the skin!
Be sure to read the instructions for the product!
Correct use of special acaricidal or acaricidal-repellent agents provides a level of protection of up to 100%.
The use of special protective clothing that combines mechanical protection (knitted cuffs, special fasteners and traps, etc.) with chemical protection (inserts made of fabric treated with special chemical compounds).
In such clothes you can safely walk through the forest, but you should not lie down or sit on the grass, since in this case ticks, bypassing the treated clothing, can immediately get on the body and attach themselves.
Such clothing will be useful primarily for foresters, loggers, geologists, tourists, and people professionally involved with the forest, but can also be used by other people, including children.
How to remove a tick?
Ticks attached to the body should be removed as soon as possible. The faster this is done, the less likely it is that the pathogen of a dangerous disease will enter the bloodstream.
Try not to tear off the proboscis immersed in the skin; after removal, be sure to disinfect the wound with iodine solution, alcohol, etc.
It is better to remove attached ticks using special devices: TONGER, LASSO HANDLE, PINCERS. Having grabbed the tick in any way, you should turn it around its axis 360º and pull it up.
In the absence of special devices, you can remove ticks using a thread (tie it around the proboscis immersed in the skin and, rotating or shaking, pull it up).
You should not drop anything on the tick and wait for it to fall off on its own.
The tick will not fall off, but will continue to introduce pathogens into the blood.
What to do with a tick?
Removed attached ticks with a piece of damp cotton wool or a fresh blade of grass should be placed in a tightly closed container (for example, a glass bottle).
Dead ticks should also be placed in a container.
Deliver the ticks to the laboratory as soon as possible for testing.
Before delivery to the laboratory, store them in a cool place at a temperature of plus 4 - 8ºС (refrigerator, thermos with ice, etc.). If ticks have attached themselves to several people, then the ticks from each person must be placed in a separate container, signed with the name of the victim.
A tick examination is necessary to assess its danger and, if necessary, prescribe treatment.
If the tick is not preserved
If you were unable to submit ticks for analysis or if the test results were negative, and within a month after the ticks were sucked in, you felt changes in your health, noted an increase in temperature, an increasing red spot (erythema) at the site of the bite, you must immediately consult a doctor, informing him about the fact of suction of a tick or ticks.
Once a tick is found, it must be removed. It is better in a medical facility and as quickly as possible. Since the tick is deeply and thoroughly embedded in the skin for the entire feeding period, it must be removed very carefully so as not to tear off the proboscis. There are some instructions that it is advisable to adhere to when removing.
When removing the tick, grab it close to the proboscis. Usually it can be pulled out completely after 1-3 turns. If you don't have tweezers, you can use thread. Read about this and other removal methods in more detail in the next article.
If, when pulling out, the head or proboscis accidentally comes off, a black dot will remain on the body. It should be treated with any disinfectant and left until natural eruption, or contact a surgeon for removal in a clinic.
First aid for a person with a tick bite can be carried out at home, but within 96 hours the issue of emergency prevention must be resolved. Therefore, attendance at the emergency room or health care facility specified in the insurance policy is mandatory. The doctor will determine further tactics and the required amount of medical care.
If you are bitten by a tick, you need to monitor your general condition, temperature and local reaction to the bite for 2-3 weeks. If round redness occurs on the body, joint pain, headache, fever occurs, and medical attention may be required.
First aid for a tick bite
Now we will tell you what the sequence of first aid should be for tick bites. The first thing to do is to immediately seek help from professionals at the seroprophylaxis point. You should go to the doctor immediately after being bitten. As a result of timely contact with specialists, the dangerous consequences of arthropod suction can be avoided.
tick bite
If the victim has not previously been vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis, then at the medical aid station the victim must be vaccinated with anti-tick immunoglobulin. This procedure is carried out immediately after receiving the test results. You can inject the drug up to three days from the moment of the insect bite, which prevents the body from infection. If the doctors at the hospital still did not vaccinate, then the victim is prescribed antiviral drugs, iodine antipyrine. You can also remove the tick yourself, but you need to do it correctly.
Bitten by a tick, what to do at home
tick extraction diagram
First aid for a tick bite is to remove the insect from the human skin and then treat the wound with an antiseptic (alcohol, iodine). Next, you should contact your doctors and get tested within the prescribed time frame: on the 11th day of PCR, after 2 and 4 weeks ELISA, as well as Western blotting. If after a tick bite first aid was provided in a timely manner, but it is not possible to get tested, you should take antibiotics. They are used in a course: doxycycline, ceftriaxone, iodantipyrine, anaferon. The tablets are taken all together, each according to its own scheme. It is better to take medications as early as possible.
tick bitten
First aid for a tick bite is important measures that should be carried out immediately. If a child is bitten by a tick and you don’t know what to do, then you need to act in exactly the same way as with an adult: remove the arthropod, treat the wound, get tested. First aid for a human tick bite is to take the antibiotics doxycycline, ceftriaxone, anaferon (in case of positive test results). If the results are negative, you should see the doctor again. If it is impossible to get tested, in order to avoid illnesses caused by a tick bite, you need to start giving your child antibiotics.
How to properly remove a tick
- wrap the thread around the arthropod as close to the proboscis as possible;
- slowly rotate around the axis and slowly pull it out.
There are other means that help get rid of the pest:
- tweezers. However, there is a possible risk of tick rupture;
- hooks Pharmacies offer special hooks with a slot. At home, you can use a clamp to quickly remove the insect.
If during the procedure the head of an arthropod (a black dot under the skin) comes off, the affected area should be treated and then the pest should be finally removed from under the skin with a thin needle (like a splinter).
Treatment of the wound
treatment after tick removal
What to do after a tick bite? After you have removed the insect yourself, you need to carefully examine the affected area. Typically, the wound is red with a black dot (the site of the bite). The size of the lesion, swelling, and redness depend on the individual characteristics of the person. Strong traces often remain in allergy sufferers or people with reduced immunity. After removing the causative agent, you should thoroughly wash the wound with soap and water. First aid for a person who is bitten by a tick:
- the wound is treated with an antiseptic: peroxide, iodine, alcohol, lotion, and so on;
- then apply brilliant green.
Since arthropods are carriers of serious diseases, the wound must be monitored. If the wound enlarges, itching and irritation appear, you should immediately see a specialist. Some infections are very dangerous to human life. If you do not know what to do if you are bitten by a tick, consult a doctor or buy antihistamines yourself at the pharmacy: fenistil, suprastin, telfast, cetrin, as well as antibiotics (to eliminate the development of infection). The wound must be treated every two hours a day for two days from the moment of injury, since infection occurs in the first 24 hours.
Folk remedies
Glue or varnish
Cover painful areas with Elmer's glue or clear varnish. This will minimize scratching, although it will not relieve the itching.
Many people believe that by performing such manipulations they will be able to force the parasites to suffocate, but this is only a myth.
In fact, nasty insects move easily without remaining under the skin. And if you smear the bite with varnish or glue, this will not radically solve the problem.
Aspirin and soda
Powder a small amount of aspirin and apply to the affected area. You can also prepare a mixture of water and soda; it is recommended to use it after a shower.
Mouth rinses
Use products such as castor oil, Listerine, Rawleigh healing oil, warming ointments. Eucalyptus, menthol and camphor oil will help heal sore spots.
Ammonia
Try solutions that contain ammonia. Mix water with any such solution, for example, one intended for cleaning windows.
It is most convenient to apply using a cotton swab. If necessary, repeat the procedure.
Hairdryer
Turn on maximum power and keep 5 cm away from the bite. Within a few seconds, the bite will be dried with hot air. The area will stop itching when the sore area cools down.
What to do with a removed tick?
extracted tick for examination
Your actions in case of a tick bite: extract, treat the wound, place the insect in a flask or bottle with a cotton pad, which must first be moistened with water. Next, you should take the arthropod to the laboratory for specialist analysis. If you are bitten by a tick, do not panic. To begin with, it is worth removing it correctly and not damaging it, so as not to make it even worse. If there is a medical aid station nearby, you should go there immediately. Next, the person needs to act independently and take appropriate medications.
Drug therapy
A tick is a harmful insect that carries various infections. That is why after a bite it is recommended to take a number of antibiotics: doxycycline, cefodox, amoskil according to the regimen that is prescribed in the instructions for the medications. The duration of treatment is from five to seven days. These medications prevent a person from borreliosis and other infections. Doxycycline should be taken once. In cases where it is possible to consult a doctor, it is necessary to immediately obtain the doctor's recommendations. Blood is taken for analysis at least twice. When identifying infections, infectious bacilli will be detected/not detected in your blood. In this case, the patient will be offered special treatment or recommended to retake tests.
Treatment of tick-borne infections with immunoglobulin
immunoglobulin
Immunoglobulin is necessary for an emergency solution to a difficult current situation. This drug can only be used in the first couple of days after a tick bite. The medicine is administered intramuscularly or intravenously. All procedures are carried out only on the recommendation of a doctor. The doctor must also decide on the dose. For each individual case, the immunoglobulin norm is different. After the injection, the patient remains with the doctor until an allergic reaction is detected. If you have been bitten by an insect and are afraid of developing infections, then you should start treatment with iodantipyrine. After three days have passed since the bite, immunoglobulin will no longer help. In this case, experts prescribe yodantipyrine to the victims, a potent antiviral agent that stimulates the development of immunity at the cellular level. Yodantipyrine can be prescribed to both adult patients and children over 14 years of age. The medicine has no side effects and should be used according to the instructions: three times a day, 300 milligrams.
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The little patient still has several weeks of intensive care ahead, but the worst is behind him. True, Kayla and her husband discovered a new problem - huge medical bills.
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Prevention measures
tick on the body
For hiking in forests and areas where you think there may be ticks, it is best to choose closed shoes: sneakers, boots, and so on. It is also best to wear long pants or trousers and tie them at the bottom with socks underneath. For dangerous places, it is best to choose jackets with long sleeves that fasten at the wrist. There are also special suits, made of thick, special fabric with drawstrings on the sleeves and legs. It is worth using repellents based on DEET - the drug works well against mosquitoes, midges, and ticks. Such ointments are usually applied by those who often go to the forest. Since the insect takes a long time to choose the location of the bite, carefully and often check your clothing and skin. If you decide to swim, the water will wash away only those arthropods that have not yet attached themselves. For those who often walk through forests and may come across a tick, it is best to get the appropriate vaccination.
First signs
Don't forget to check after walking in the forest or through thick grass. The first sign will be the presence of an insect on the human body. The lesion is painless, so it is not immediately possible to detect the problem. The first signs of an encephalitis tick bite:
- weakness;
- headache;
- photophobia;
- chills;
- drowsiness;
- muscle pain;
- aching joints;
- heat.
Depending on a person’s sensitivity to tick saliva, additional symptoms occur, for example:
- upset stomach, vomiting;
- nausea;
- wheezing breathing;
- Strong headache;
- hallucinations;
- dizziness.
Tick-borne encephalitis
Tick-borne encephalitis is one of the dangerous viral infections that can develop in the victim without any special signs or skin manifestations. The patient may notice symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis only ten to fourteen days after the bite itself. Then the person’s lymph nodes begin to swell and cells multiply in the joints. In this case, the victim will feel very bad and there will be severe weakness. All symptoms are similar to ARV or flu. It becomes much worse when the infection spreads further throughout the body and affects the human central nervous system. As a result, the patient becomes paralyzed, deaf, blind, vomiting and uncontrollable convulsions. Some insects can cause death in humans.
The victim may become infected with other dangerous infections: borreliosis, hemorrhagic fever, typhoid.
Symptoms
The suction process is not characterized by the development of clinical signs. After suction, local symptoms occur. In the area where the parasite has invaded, the skin turns red. The color of the spot may vary. If borreliosis develops, a scar appears at the site of penetration.
Symptoms are pronounced when the tick is infected with encephalitis. Clinical signs include fever, vomiting, and chills. The symptoms are more like a cold.
Useful tips
If you are bitten by a tick, you often have to take action on your own. That is why it is worth paying attention to a number of recommendations:
- lubricate the insect with camphor oil to make it easier to get out;
- lubricate the bite site with tincture of iodine;
- remove the tick using improvised means: thread, tongs;
- place the arthropod in a flask and submit it to the laboratory;
- treat the affected area;
- consult a doctor at your place of residence;
- use ointments before going outdoors;
- check clothes.
Symptoms of borreliosis
This is a disease of a bacterial nature that causes a sharp increase in temperature, intoxication of the entire human body, and fatigue. In medical practice, it is more often called Lyme disease. Early manifestations can be observed 7 days after the lesion, but cases of pathology developing after 3 weeks have been noted. Bacteria affect almost all organs and systems of the human body. The disease is chronic and requires treatment with antibiotics. Symptoms of borreliosis:
- itching, burning of the bite site;
- erythema, which then crusts over and leaves scars;
- sore throat;
- runny nose;
- nausea, vomiting;
- difficulty breathing;
- swelling of the skin;
- enlarged lymph nodes.
