Tick-borne encephalitis. Tick-borne encephalitis: signs and symptoms, treatment. Professional anti-tick treatment is the best solution to the problem

The risk of contracting tick-borne encephalitis while in the tick habitat remains throughout the warm period of the year, but the likelihood of getting it is much higher in endemic regions. Let's find out which regions of the Russian Federation are endemic for tick-borne encephalitis, and which of them are the most dangerous during the period.

An area endemic for tick-borne encephalitis is an area in whose ecosystem the causative agent of tick-borne encephalitis is constantly present, and almost every season there are cases of encephalitis in people bitten by ticks in this region.

The risk of getting bitten in the regions listed above varies. For example, in Crimea and the Volga region, cases of the disease are recorded once every few years, and in Siberia and Far East Dozens of people die every year from tick-borne encephalitis.

Specifics of endemic areas

Localization area natural source The virus is constant, but its boundaries change from time to time, and within the range itself, areas free from tick vectors sometimes form.

Ticks concentrate mainly in the forest zone, preferring shady, cool corners with tall, dense grass. But some forest areas are so isolated that ticks are not able to penetrate their territory. An example is the mountainous Caucasus. There are forests and living conditions suitable for ticks, but there are no encephalitis ticks here, since they have not reached this region.

There are more ticks in the east than in the west

The degree of danger of contracting tick-borne encephalitis within the main tick habitat increases from west to east. Cases of disease are recorded especially often in the southern regions of the Far East. Most likely, this is due to humid, warm summers and the presence of mixed forests.

The most dangerous regions of the Far East:

Amur region;
Sakhalin;
Khabarovsk region;
Jewish Autonomous Region;
Primorsky Krai.

What is characteristic: following warming, ticks move from east to west, and the peak of their numbers and activity in different regions varies throughout the season.

Incidence of encephalitis by region

If we compare the number of cases in different regions, the picture will also look heterogeneous.

Every year per 100 thousand people fall ill with:

Up to 4 people in North-West federal district(Leningrad, Arkhangelsk regions).
About 4-10 people in the Tver region and Khabarovsk region.
Approximately 10-20 people – Khanty-Mansiysk, Tyumen, Omsk and Irkutsk regions.
About 20-40 people - Chita, Ufa and Sverdlovsk regions.
Over 40 people – Krasnoyarsk and Altai territories.

In the Far East endemic areas have existed for hundreds of years, and situations in better side does not change. In contrast to this, in the European territory of the country, the number of people sick with tick-borne encephalitis is decreasing from year to year due to the anthropogenic factor (urbanization, land cultivation, landscape changes) and enhanced measures to combat the occurrence of the disease - vaccinations, the use of protective equipment.

The younger the horse, the more severely it suffers from the disease. Infection occurs mainly during the period of activation of ticks from the species Dermacentor pictus and Dermacentor marginatus.

Horses with weakened immune protection, which worsens as a result high level exploitation of the horse or the presence of other chronic diseases.

Symptoms and diagnosis

In general, piroplasmosis in horses has the same symptoms and pathogenesis as in other animals. Incubation period pathogens lasts from 1 to 2 weeks, and the disease itself is most often expressed in acute clinical form and has the following symptoms:

The danger of the disease lies in its rapid development. If the spread of the disease is not stopped, the horse may die within a week after the first visible symptoms appear.

Diagnosis of piroplasmosis in horses is based on the symptoms that appear and is carried out comprehensively. Epizootological indicators and pathoanatomical changes that occurred during the course of the disease are also taken into account. The most reliable way to determine the presence of babesiosis is to conduct a blood test.

Treatment and prevention

After pathogens are detected in the animal’s blood, a therapeutic course is developed, which must be carried out by a certified veterinarian. Treatment of equine piroplasmosis is comprehensive and begins as soon as possible after diagnosis.

First of all, the destruction of pathogens in the blood is carried out through substances such as Imidocarb and Diminazene Aceturate, which are introduced into the body through intramuscular injections.

In addition, supporting symptomatic treatment, which includes the use of laxatives and cardiac medications, as well as following a special diet.

In order to prevent the disease, attention should be paid to personal protective equipment for animals against ixodid tick bites, as well as taking into account their seasonal activity and, if possible, destroying the ticks themselves, thus organizing pastures and walking areas that are free from disease carriers.

After successful treatment, the horses themselves develop immunity to piroplasmosis for a period of 1 to 2 years.

Tick-borne encephalitis- this is the hardest thing infection, which is transmitted to humans from encephalitis ticks. The cause of the disease is ticks of the ixodid family. After being bitten by a tick infected with a virus, encephalitis develops after several weeks. Both humans and domestic animals suffer from encephalitis. Forestry workers, builders, tourists, and all those whose line of work takes place in the forest belt where ticks live are at risk of getting sick.

Causes of tick-borne encephalitis

The disease develops after a person is bitten by an infected tick, as well as when a tick that has already attached itself to the body is accidentally crushed, or when an infected tick is eaten without boiling. homemade milk. A tick can be caught not only in a forest or park area, but you can bring it with branches, or it can get on the fur of pets, and at home it will stick to human skin.

Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis

The development of the disease occurs several weeks after the tick bite. The clinical picture begins with an increase in temperature to very high numbers. The encephalitis virus primarily affects spinal cord, both the head and peripheral nerve endings. Therefore in clinical picture convulsions, paralysis and decreased or loss of skin sensitivity predominate. As the disease progresses, severe headaches, uncontrollable vomiting, attacks of loss of consciousness, coma, and disorientation appear (the person does not understand where he is, or what date and time of year it is). Heart problems appear (myocarditis, arrhythmias develop), gastrointestinal tract- constipation, hepatomegaly and hypersplenism.

The mortality rate from encephalitis can reach 20% and occur within a week from the moment of infection. If a tick is found on the skin, you must bring it to bacteriological laboratory, where an analysis will be carried out to determine the absence or presence of tick infection. Ticks, having firmly latched onto the victim’s skin, do not immediately begin to drink blood. That’s why it’s so important when returning from the forest to immediately inspect skin. If a tick is quickly detected and removed, the risk of infection is reduced significantly. It is important to be registered with a doctor for one month after a tick bite. If you have complaints about fever or skin rashes, you should immediately contact a medical facility.

Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis

In case of a tick bite, the most effective method of preventing the development of the disease is the administration of a special anti-tick immunoglobulin. Immunization is carried out once, the drug is administered intramuscularly. The medicine contains antibodies that will help a person cope with the virus. The material for the production of immunoglobulin is obtained from the blood of people previously vaccinated against encephalitis. When tick-borne encephalitis develops, treatment must be carried out in a hospital. In the hospital, antiviral immunoglobulins are necessarily prescribed. It is recommended to strictly adhere to bed rest.

The most reliable way to protect against encephalitis is your own antibodies, which are formed in response to the vaccination. More often, immunization is carried out in the fall or winter, so that by the new warm season antibodies against the encephalitis virus have already been developed in the blood. Imported vaccines for the rapid prevention of encephalitis have appeared on sale (a person is vaccinated once a week for 21 days). Vaccinations protect against the development of the disease up to 97 percent. In some cases, immunity is not developed despite vaccination.

We must not forget about vigilant behavior in the forest. When going into the forest, you must wear a hat or cap, clothes that cover the entire body, tuck your trousers into your socks, tuck your shirt into your trousers, try to keep your neck covered with a collar, and treat your clothes with repellent. Try to avoid impassable thickets. When returning from the forest, it is recommended to carefully examine yourself and your traveling companion.

This is the only way to prevent the risk of contracting viral encephalitis. And preventing a disease is easier than treating it.

A focus of tick-borne encephalitis has been identified in the west of Moscow - two cases of infected tick bites in the city occurred in 2016 and 2017, and the first of them led to the disease. About this with reference to the report of researchers Central Research Institute Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor is reported by Izvestia.

At the same time, the Moscow department of Rospotrebnadzor says that all cases of encephalitis in the capital occurred as a result of infection outside its borders, including the one noted in 2016, Izvestia reports.

The territory is considered free from tick-borne encephalitis. This status may be changed if human illnesses resulting from bites are observed and recorded for five years. In this case, residents will be able to receive free vaccinations against this disease. Currently, the territories closest to Moscow with the status of endemic tick-borne encephalitis are the Dmitrovsky and Taldomsky districts of the Moscow region.

As the acting deputy head of the department for supervision of special dangerous infections and disinfection activities management Elena Tanygina, after the announcement of the report data, the prefecture of the Western District was issued an order to carry out barrier treatment of the forest park, which was carried out. The area will be checked weekly and anti-tick treatment will be carried out there.

“Encephalitis mites do not appear immediately and do not disappear immediately. Most likely, new cases of bites will be recorded in Moscow within several years, the chief researcher at the Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology of Rospotrebnadzor told Izvestia. Sergey Ignatov. - Encephalitis - dangerous disease. But there are not very many ticks, only a few percent of them are encephalitic. And then, after a bite, only a few percent of people get sick, it depends on the immune system.”

Tick-borne encephalitis is transmitted by ixodid ticks. This disease affects the central and peripheral nervous system, can cause paralysis and even death of a person. The incidence rate of tick-borne encephalitis in Russia in 2017 was 1.3 cases per 100 thousand population. (Source: Izvestia)

Previously, the portal Miloserdie.ru has repeatedly published recommendations telling about...

With the onset of the spring season, when the snow gradually begins to melt around and nature awakens, ticks appear from under the ground and leaves in order to profit from something. For this purpose, they can penetrate under the fur of hedgehogs, dogs, cats, hares, and even under human skin. Therefore, those who live in a country house should take care in advance to protect themselves from them as follows: throughout summer cottage it is necessary to carry out disinsection work and carefully remove dry, fallen vegetation.

This is due to the fact that dangerous ticks are usually found under leaves, in grass or near bird nests.

In parks, of course, they use preventive measures against encephalitis ticks, but this is not 100% sure that they will not be there at all, and they will not bring any harm to others. To protect yourself from them, it is also recommended to regularly use sprays and ointments. Prevent attack dangerous ticks You can treat your pets by purchasing special drops for them.

A tick is a type of blood-sucking insect. It looks like a spider because it has several legs. There are some varieties of mites, but they are not very different from each other. Being in their habitat areas, they can smell their prey a couple of meters away. Their only drawback is the lack of vision. After a tick bite, a person may develop an infectious disease. The two most dangerous are considered to be the encephalitis virus and Lyme disease. They damage the nervous system and can sometimes cause death.

In the event of a blood-sucking insect bite, it is necessary to provide medical care no later than 96 hours.

For a victim of a dangerous tick bite, the doctor injects immunoglobulin under the skin, which fights the infection and completely destroys it. But not all ticks carry it. To test yourself for infection, you need to take the tick that bit the person to the laboratory.

You should usually beware of encephalitis ticks when the weather is cloudy and damp. Their most active season is April. At this time, they begin to actively reproduce and look for new victims to feed on blood. There is an assumption that due to the presence of receptors on their paws, ticks are able to sense it at a long distance. They sit on the stems of the plant and wait to bite the victim and profit from the blood. Due to the fact that after a bite a substance such as a secret is released, this allows the tick to gain a good foothold on the skin and live for several days in a row.

Dangerous areas

Despite the fact that in the Moscow region there are this moment There have been no recorded cases of people becoming infected with encephalitis; in Yaroslavl, Tver and some other regions this happens every day. It is also known that in many areas of the Moscow region there are ticks that carry tularemia and Lyme disease. Therefore, those who plan to visit these areas of Russia are vaccinated in advance. More than 1,000 people had this procedure done last year.

According to statistics, 71.4% of incidents related to tick bites occurred precisely in those regions where a person lives. In 2017, encephalitis ticks were recorded on the map in all districts of the Moscow region. In Russia, the most dangerous ones to visit are: Taldomsky, Orekhovo-Zuevsky, Klinsky, Naro-Fominsky, Egoryevsky, Lukhovitsky, Mytishchi, Pavlovo-Posad and others.

To check where the tick has bitten, you need to see a doctor. Most often tick bites are found:

On the back of the head;
Near the navel;
In the armpits of the body.

In 2017 in Russia, the number of people who became infected from tick bites was equal to the number of those who were exposed to tick bites. Those who have never been vaccinated against tick bites undergo another procedure - revaccination. It should be remembered that ticks are found not only in those places marked on the map of Russia, but also in other areas. In 2017, the number of emerging diseases in dangerous areas on the tick map was analyzed. At 46 medical institutions Moscow recorded 397 of them. Compared to previous years, this figure has increased significantly. It often happens that people are bitten by ticks that were transported from other areas. This happens to those who have not been vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis.

Let's take a closer look at the map

Making a forecast of what it will be like next year after warming and the appearance of ticks, this is done based on information from last year and weather conditions. What places will be the main places for dangerous ticks to stay this year? Due to the fact that these insects never radically change their location, the areas where most of them are located do not change on the map. In the Moscow region, ticks are most active in spring and early autumn. Therefore, before going there, you need to pay attention to what dangerous areas with ticks on the map.