Don't oil the ticks and don't be afraid to walk under the trees. Six myths about bloodsuckers

Entomologists note the early activity of ticks in different parts of the country. In the Mogilev region, there are already more than 50 victims of bites. Together with the DOCTOR, we debunk the myths about these bloodsuckers and remind you what to do if you encounter them.

- Ixodid ticks become active immediately after the snow cover melts, when the air temperature rises to at least 6 ° C, and do not doze until late autumn. The first peak of attacks on people and animals occurs in spring - early summer, - says Svetlana Shimanskaya, an entomologist at the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Leninsky District of MINSK. - Ixodid ticks like warmth and humidity, but not heat. Avoid direct sunlight. A temperature of 30 ° C above zero affects them depressingly.

- Ticks belong to the class of arachnids, they have four pairs of legs, - explains the entomologist. - A dry, flat, weightless brown tick, only 2-6 mm in size, after a hearty lunch that lasts several days, turns into a gray weighty "pouch" 1-2 cm long. The female's weight increases more than 100 times during feeding! The tick is sucked painlessly and can be kept on the body of a person or animal for up to 10 days.

- This belief is wrong. Ticks need shrubs, clearings and clearings with tall grass. Favorite habitats - forest litter, moderately shaded and humid places (roadsides, ravines), overgrown with grass. Clinging to a person or animal from vegetation at a height of 1-1.5 meters from the ground, ticks can crawl for 1.5-2 hours - choose a place suitable for suction. In humans, most often these are legs, inguinal and axillary areas, back, neck and skin behind the ears, the expert says.

- This is a very common misconception. In fact, tick-borne encephalitis can also be contracted by eating unboiled goat's MILK, less often cow's milk, warns the entomologist. - But infections enter the human body precisely with a tick bite. During bloodsucking, the causative agents of these diseases penetrate there along with the saliva of the parasite. There are other ways. For example, through microtraumas on the skin - if you remove the tick with your hands without gloves or accidentally crush it. The most well-known infections that are spread by ixodid ticks are tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease (borreliosis). The first disease in Belarus is much less common than the second. Not every tick is infected with the tick-borne encephalitis virus, borrelia, rickettsia or anaplasma. By the way, there is a vaccination only against tick-borne encephalitis, against other infections,

- When removing a tick, do not use oils and greasy creams. They clog the respiratory openings of the tick and provoke an additional release of pathogens into the human blood, explains Svetlana Shimanskaya. - It is important to remove the tick as soon as possible. After all, even if it was infected and bitten by a healthy person, but was quickly and completely removed from the body, then so few viruses or bacteria can get into the blood that the immune system eliminates the infection.

The tick can be removed with a cotton thread. It is tied into a knot as close as possible to the proboscis. Twisting the ends of the thread with a circular motion, remove the tick, slowly, without sudden movements, pulling it up. If he has already managed to dive deep into the skin, then remove it like a splinter with a disinfected needle. With tweezers, the tick should be captured as close to the proboscis as possible. Then it is gently pulled out, rotating around its axis in a direction convenient for you. You can not pull out the tick or press on the abdomen - there is a high probability of its rupture. Pharmacies and stores sell special tools for extracting ticks. After removing it, treat the skin at the suction site with tincture of iodine or another ALCOHOL solution, wash your hands with soap and water.

- This statement is true only for those who are contraindicated in taking antibiotics. In other cases, the study of the tick is carried out at will, - the entomologist notes. - Prevention of infections is most effective in the first 72 hours from the moment the tick is sucked. Therefore, immediately after its removal, be sure to contact the clinic at the place of residence for the appointment of preventive treatment. For the next month, take special care of your HEALTH. In case of malaise, weakness, fever, a spot at the site of a tick bite, headache or muscle pain, consult a doctor immediately.

· For a walk in the forest and the park, wear tight-fitting clothing, preferably in light colors, with cuffs fastened on the sleeves, and trousers.

· Tuck outerwear into trousers and tuck them into boots, high boots or socks. Don't forget a hat or hood.

Use special means of chemical protection against ticks - repellents.

· Every 1-2 hours on a walk and upon returning home, conduct self- and mutual examinations of clothing and exposed areas of the body.

· Walk away from shrubs and tall grass, in the middle of the road, trying not to touch the branches and grass hanging over it.

· For a picnic, it is better to choose a sunny, dry glade at least a meter from trails and bushes.

Plant on your plots plants that repel bloodsuckers - thyme and sage.

| Based on materials from BELTA, photo from open Internet sources.

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