With spring reports of bites on the rise. Ticks are vehicles for various infections that can have serious outcomes. Symptoms to monitor and how to protect yourself
From the United Kingdom comes the reporting of two cases of tick-borne encephalitis (or TBE) contracted within the country. This was confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recalling that it is a rare disease. Ticks infected with the virus have been found in a small number of areas in England, including Hampshire, Dorset and Norfolk.
TBE cases are on the rise in Europe, with around 3,800 reports in 2020: it would be another disease whose growth due to the
climate change.
In Italia the disease was first identified in 1994 in the province of Belluno.
Diseases carried by ticks
Tick-borne encephalitis is one of the infections that can carry the tick biteincluding Lyme disease and the lesser known protective. Tick-borne encephalitis (tick-borne encephalitis, o TBE) or spring-summer encephalitis, a human viral infectious disease involving the central nervous system and caused by a virus of the same family as those responsible for yellow fever and dengue.
The consequences and symptoms
As recalled by the Istituto Superiore di Sanit (ISS), in 70% of cases, the bite of a tick carrying the virus manifests itself in humans with an infection that does not cause disturbances or causes very mild ones. For this reason it can go unnoticed. In the remaining 30% of cases, a first phase appears marked by flu-like ailments. In a small percentage (10-20% of cases) the virus continues to spread in the meninges (protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord) or in the brain itself, causing symptoms of meningitis
or encephalitis. The following may appear: sudden fever, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, headache, changes in mental status, convulsions, sensitivity to light, difficulty speaking, paralysis. In this case, you need to go to the hospital.
Avoiding bites: what to do
The best weapon remains there prevention: don’t be bitten. avoid skimpy clothes in areas of tall grass and bushes, prefer light-colored clothing, use insect repellent products, protect pet dogs with collars containing acaricides.
In the event of a major bite, do not crush the animal, because doing so could inoculate the bacteria directly into the skin of the bitten person.
Here’s how to proceed:
1) Remove the tick very gently, possibly with tweezers. The parasite should be grasped by the head, as close as possible to the skin.
2) If you have removed the tick, but the head remained attached, try to remove it with a sterile needle (operating as to remove a splinter).
3) Disinfect the area and keep it under observation for a month.
4) Consult your doctor if fever, malaise or a rash appear on the skin in the week following the sting.
April 8, 2023 (change April 8, 2023 | 07:49)
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