Ticks in the Saratov region and Saratov

What infections can ticks carry in the Saratov region in 2019, conducting treatment of dangerous territories and vaccinations, a list of medical institutions in which they provide first aid and conduct examination of parasites for infection, preventive measures - relevant information for residents of the city and region.

Tick-borne infections

Ticks relate to arthropods that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals, including wild dogs, rats and mice infected with diseases, as well as humans. During the bite they can transmit to humans pathogens of serious infectious diseasesthe most common of which are encephalitisBorreliosis (Lyme disease), ehrlichiosis.

On a note!

The carriers of such diseases are most often ixodid ticksthat become dangerous with the onset of the spring season of activity. The suction of the "bloodsucker" is almost painless due to the introduction of anesthetizing substances through the saliva. Therefore, it is possible to detect a sucking pest after visiting a forest in the Saratov region or walking in a park and only after a careful examination of the skin surface.

Ticks fall on a person, to the house and by accident: on the fur of animals after a walk, together with the collected wildflowers or other ways.

Infectious diseases dangerous to human health and life:

• Tick-borne encephalitis can affect the victim’s nervous system, spinal cord and brain, cause paralysis and can be fatal. In cases of illness, immunity is formed and re-infection is impossible, incubation period is 1-2 weeks, during which negative symptoms may appear (fever up to + 38 ... + 40 ° C, severe headaches, cramps and paralysis). Recovery time (partial) after acute encephalitis is up to 2 years.
• Borreliosis refers to chronic diseases that do not occur immediately, but can also affect the human immune, cardiovascular and nervous systems, causing severe health complications and disability. After the disease, unstable immunity is formed for 5-7 years, after which re-infection is possible.

  

• West Nile fever - mosquitoes and ixodid ticks transmit it, it affects people with reduced immunity, the incubation period is 3-30 days. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle and head pain, localized near the forehead and orbits, swollen lymph nodes, and complications such as meningitis and encephalitis are possible.
• Tularemia - transmitted from small rodents through blood-sucking insects, is characterized by intoxication of the body, fever and damage to lymph nodes.

Important!

The highest risk of infection in Saratov and the region are those who, by the nature of their profession, are often in the forest: employees of timber industry enterprises, tourists, hunters, geologists, gas workers. In recent years, the number of residents of the Saratov region who are attacked by "bloodsuckers" in their dachas and garden plots has been growing (75%).

The situation in Saratov

Since mid-March, every year in Saratov, daily monitoring of the situation with the spread of infections that can be transmitted by ticks is carried out.

On a note!

According to the Rospotrebnadzor, in 2017, residents turned to the city’s medical facilities regarding tick bites 1380 times. The examination recorded 5 cases of Lyme disease in 5 people living in 3 districts of the Saratov region.

According to scientists, the incidence of tick-borne infections in the Saratov region in recent years is at an average level. Every year, local authorities carry out treatment of acaricidal chemicals with especially problematic areas of the region: the location of children's camps, city parks, etc. In 2018, 1,200 hectares of land were cultivated, including 800 hectares of territories of children's sports and recreation camps.

In the season of activity, an infection of ticks was examined in Saratov and the region: out of 2 thousand specimens, only 3 positive reactions to tick-borne borreliosis were detected. This is evidence of the low activity of this infection in the region. In the Saratov region in recent years not a single case of tick-borne encephalitis infection has been recorded. However, there is a risk that people who come from places that are dysfunctional due to encephalitis can become sick.

Therefore, the residents of Saratov, who are going to go to dangerous regions regarding encephalitis, it is recommended to take a preventive vaccine in advance, which will help protect against the danger of contracting a serious illness from ticks.

Important!

In 2018, 890 people turned to Saratov medical facilities for tick bites (as of August), of which 315 were children under 16 years of age. In the regional center of hygiene and epidemiology of the Microbe Institute, 388 individuals were examined, of which 2 revealed borreliosis. However, these ticks were removed from people who came from the Altai Territory and Moscow region.

In 2018, 3 positive samples were also detected from parasites captured in the forest of the Atkarsky district of the Saratov region.

Where to go when sucking a tick

If a tick is found on your body residents of the Saratov region are encouraged to contact the nearest clinic or emergency room.

When self-removing an arthropod, the following rules should be followed:

• extract tick it is possible with tweezers or a strong thread with a loop, which is thrown on his body; use is also possible syringe, special fixture;
• twisting should be carried out carefully, trying not to tear off the head, which is under the skin;
• after extraction should process the wound iodine or alcohol;
• the removed tick must be placed in a jar with a lid and wet gauze and taken for examination to the laboratory of the city of Saratov;
• in the absence of such an opportunity, it must be burned.

Important!

When removing a tick from the skin, care must be taken not to crush it. The extraction procedure should be carried out with gloves, since infection can also occur through the blood of a crushed parasite.

Institutions where you can take a tick for analysis in Saratov for a study about infection with encephalitis, borreliosis, tularemia and fever:

• Laboratory of the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology, Saratov, ul. Volskaya, 7, tel. 49-12-45;
• examination cost for borreliosis 670 rubles. The total cost of examining the tick is 1,700 rubles.

If the test results are positive, then an urgent introduction of anti-tick-borne immunoglobulinto prevent the development of the disease.

Encephalitis vaccine

To protect yourself from a possible disease as a result of tick bites, you must do tick-borne encephalitis vaccination. This method is the only and most reliable.

Preventive vaccination in medical institutions of the Saratov region is carried out in 2 stages:

• primary - 2 vaccinations are carried out with an interval of 1-3 months;
• the last vaccination must be done 2 weeks before leaving for a dysfunctional zone for infection with this disease.

Vaccination can be done in the infectious disease office of the district clinic or in the Center for Immunoprophylaxis, located in Saratov at the address: st. Astrakhan, 88, tel. 22-62-50, 29-74-61.

On a note!

If there is a medical policy and vaccine in the clinic of Saratov, vaccination is free.

Protection and Prevention

For those who plan to visit the forest or places of the Saratov region where blood-sucking parasites can be located, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules that will help prevent tick bites and infection by infections:

• to dress for hiking in the forest in closed clothing that fits tightly to the body;
• the shirt should have cuffs, and pants should be tucked into shoes;
• wear a hat to protect the head and neck;
• every 15 minutes to inspect clothing for the identification of "bloodsuckers";
• every 2 hours it is recommended to remove clothes and examine the skin;
• in the forest for parking, choose sites without dense vegetation;
• to repel bloodsucking parasites use tick remediesthat can be bought at a store or pharmacy;
• if a sucking tick is found, seek medical help at the hospital or remove it yourself;
• if unpleasant symptoms appear within 1-2 weeks after the bite, you should urgently consult a doctor, especially after staying in an unfavorable area where infection with the virus transmitted encephalitis ticks.

Compliance with all preventive protective measures will help prevent tick sucking and reduce the risk of serious infections in the city of Saratov and the region in the next 2019.