How to protect a child from ticks

Ticks begin vigorous activity at a time when insects have not yet woken up from hibernation. For an unknown reason, many people are convinced that ticks are insects. So you can not be afraid tick bite in early spring. But ticks - not insects. They come out of hibernation when the snow has not yet completely melted. Tick ​​attacks are possible even in March. Going with a child in the early spring for a walk in the park or to the country, it is time for parents to think about how to protect the child from ticks.

Security measures

The basic safety rules for children are the same as for adults:

• special clothes;
• regular inspection of the body;
• repellent preparations.

When choosing repellents pay attention to whether this is suitable drug for the child.

Overalls

Ticks cannot crawl over long distances, so the chance of meeting a parasite in the middle of an asphalt street is low. But all yards are usually landscaped, and trendy green lawns become a hotbed of ticks. The parasite awaits the victim on grass or bushes. In early spring, the grass is still low, but ticks can already wait for their prey on it. Special clothing will protect the child from ticks in nature, even if it is a park. It is better to dress the child in nature in overalls with tightening cuffs on the hands and elastic bands at the bottom of the legs. Since the spring is still cool, the socks will fulfill a twofold role: they will not allow the feet to freeze and protect against ticks. The bottom of the legs must be tucked into socks. The neck of the upper part of the clothing should fit snugly against the body. This is unlikely to protect the child in the forest from ticks by 100%, but will reduce the chances of bloodsuckers getting to the body.

On a note!

When walking in the forest, you need to make sure that the child’s head always has a hat, scarf or hood. Hair should be removed under a hat. Even for adults, this is a must. A small child is usually not taller than a bush and his head is often located just at the maximum accessible height for the tick. Headwear will allow children to protect themselves from getting a parasite directly on the scalp. If the arthropod gets into the hair, it will be much more difficult to find it.

Repellents

On the clothes are additionally applied acaricidal drugswho will kill the bloodsucker before he gets to the baby’s body. When choosing a repellent, you need to pay attention to whether it is suitable for children under 12 years old.

All effective acaricidal preparations contain the substance diethyltoluamide, which is also DETA. The content of DETA in adult products can reach up to 50%. But such highly toxic drugs are applied only to clothing. On unprotected skin, adults can only use 30% DETA.

For children from 3 to 12 years, the maximum content of acaricidal substance can be no more than 10%. Clothing is treated with such means. On the skin, no more than 5% DETA is permissible.

Important!

These funds are able to protect the child from ticks for a very short period of time: 2-3 hours.

Then the processing must be repeated. Several types of drugs are available:

• dry pencil;
• spray can;
• spray;
• balm;
• milk;
• lotion;
• cream.

Liquids and a pencil can be applied to clothes, but the cream will leave greasy stains. Some creams may have 10% DETA.

Permissible means by which you can protect children from arthropods:

• Mosquitol for babies. Available in 2 forms: cream (10%) and milk (7.5%). Cream from 5 years, milk from 2 years.
• Off-child. Cream and spray. DETA 5%. From 3 years.
• Biban Gel (7%). From 3 years.
• Baby death with aloe vera. There are two active substances: clove and DETA (7.5%). From 2 years.
• Gardex.

It is possible to protect young children from a tick bite with the help of drugs on a natural basis. Such funds do not kill bloodsuckers, but scare them away.

Means for babies

Even “children's” preparations with industrial acaricides are contraindicated for very young children. You can protect the baby from ticks with the help of folk remedies that repel parasites:

• essential oils;
• aromatic herbs.

Of aromatic herbs, it is best to use tansy and celandine, which are placed in a stroller. In early spring there is still no fresh grass and you will have to use the dried stocks. The aroma of dried grass is always not as strong as that of fresh. To secure the walls of the stroller from the outside, they are treated with children's preparations from ticks.

On a note!

Of aromatic oils, clove or eucalyptus is preferred. A few drops of oil applied to a blanket or clothes will protect the child from ticks. But these oils are the most powerful allergens of all aromatic oils. They must be used carefully and first make sure that the baby is not allergic to these substances.

Place of walk

A certain role in protecting the child from ticks is played by the choice of a place for walking in nature. Parasites prefer deciduous and mixed forests. Especially “popular” among them are:

• Rowan;
• Linden;
• Birch;
• alder.

When choosing a place for a walk, it is better to avoid forests with these tree species. Ticks do not sit on branches, but they are most comfortable in forests with these tree species. Do not live parasites in clear coniferous forests. In the pine forest you can walk safely.

On a note!

The child should not be allowed to crawl along the grass without protection.

Country house

The first spring work in the country begins when the ticks wake up. The child also wants to take a walk, and parents often take their children to the site with them.

Protecting a child from ticks in the country in the spring is easier than in the forest. Since spring work is carried out on spraying from garden and garden pestssimultaneously to process the plot and from ticks. For a while, this will reduce the population of arthropod bloodsuckers.

After the greenery grows on the site, that is, starting in June, the cottage will become no less dangerous place than the forest. But the precautions will be the same as when walking in the forest.

Inspection and Removal

The tick bites painlessly, therefore, after a walk in the woods or a visit to the country, the child must be undressed and carefully examined. Particular attention is paid to the armpits, scalp and inguinal region.

If a tick is detected it is carefully removed with special devices or threads. It is important not to tear off the parasite roughly. When squeezing the body of an arthropod, it releases into the wound all the parasites that it has in the intestines. The head of the tick cannot be torn off. The causative agents of the most dangerous diseases for humans are found in the parasite in the salivary glands.

Important!

The use of folk methods of extracting a bloodsucker: piercing with a hot needle and lubricating with oil, is strictly prohibited. This is the best way to get an infectious disease if the individual was the carrier of the virus.

Prevention

Borreliosis successfully heal with antibiotics. The main danger with a tick bite is the risk of infection encephalitis. The best preventative measure in this case is vaccination before the first visit to the forest. It is better for the child to be vaccinated with an imported vaccine, since the domestic one can be injected only for children older than 3 years.Imported vaccines are used starting from a year. In areas dysfunctional in encephalitis, children can be vaccinated from six months.

The vaccine is done in 3 stages:

• in the fall;
• in the spring;
• 9 months after the second.

You may not comply with the deadlines, but it is better to start vaccination a few months before the epidemic season.