Natalya Shashina, a leading researcher at the FBSI Research Institute of Disinfectology of Rospotrebnadzor, told how to prepare for the season of tick activity and protect yourself from their bites.
According to the specialist, spring is a season of increased activity for forest, meadow and steppe ticks, since with the arrival of warmth they come out of hibernation. In this regard, you should take precautions in advance.
So, in some regions it is better to start with a tick-borne encephalitis vaccine. In this case, in the first season, you should be vaccinated twice, taking a break between injections in two months or in an emergency – in two weeks.
“At the same time, not every territory is endemic for tick-borne encephalitis, although this is the most serious disease, in some cases leading to disability. If you live, for example, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Tyumen regions, it is advisable to get vaccinated. If you live in Moscow, you do not need to vaccinate, this territory has not yet been declared endemic for encephalitis, ”Sputnik radio quotes Shashina on Wednesday, March 17.
She stressed that ticks can be carriers of other dangerous infections, for example, tick-borne borreliosis. Moreover, not all diseases that insects carry are vaccines, so it is important to prevent a bite and take precautions.
“It is important to behave correctly in dangerous territory and dress correctly. These are necessarily long trousers tucked into socks with a thick elastic band. The shirt is tucked into the trousers. The fabric can be any, the ticks never bite through the fabric, ”she emphasized.
In this case, as soon as the tick is under the clothes, it begins to search for a place for suction. The virus is transmitted within the first five minutes, while Borrelia is transmitted about 18 hours. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the tick as soon as a person sees it, and then carry it for analysis.
Earlier, on March 16, experts warned that the tick season in the Pskov region could begin after March 20.