Why tick-borne encephalitis is terrible and how to protect yourself from it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Every year in Russia, up to half a million people become victims of ticks. About three thousand are faced with tick-borne encephalitis.

If earlier experienced people, going for a walk in the forest, were wary of wolves, now they are ticks. And this is more than justified. One almost imperceptible bite can carry a dozen unpleasant (and in especially difficult cases, even fatal) consequences.

Life hacker has dealt with one of the most common and dangerous infections, often carried by ticks - tick-borne encephalitis.

What is tick-borne encephalitis

If you do not go into details, this is a virus that can cause inflammation of certain areas of the brain: encephalitis itself or related meningitis and meningoencephalitis.

Typically, the infection enters the body after a tick bite. In rare cases, the cause of infection can be the raw milk of infected domestic animals (cows, goats), from which ticks and catch the virus.

What are the symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis

This infection is one of the most insidious. At first, especially if a person is not aware that somewhere in his hair or under his arm a bloodsucker has stuck, tick-borne encephalitis does not manifest itself at all.

The incubation period for this infection can last for Tick-borne Encephalitis (TBE) up to 14 days, during which nothing even hints that the infection is already in the body.

Further, the symptoms also do not cause much concern:

1. Slight malaise.
2. Muscle aches, as if overtraining or bleeding.
3. Headache.
4. Temperature rise, sometimes insignificant.

At the initial stage, the symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis resemble the flu or even the common cold. Few people associate ailment with a walk in the woods that happened a couple of weeks ago. Moreover, most often the "cold" stage is followed by an improvement when it seems that he is completely healthy.

Indeed, some are lucky: immunity defeats infection. However, in about 30% of those who encounter the infection, Tick-borne encephalitis worsens, accompanied by a sharp and significant increase in temperature and symptoms of damage to the nervous system.

Why tick-borne encephalitis is dangerous

Damage to the nervous system can develop as encephalitis (impaired consciousness and motor activity up to paralysis of individual limbs or the whole body), and meningitis (fever, severe headache, rigidity - petrification - of the neck muscles) or mixed forms.

The older or physically weaker a person is, the higher the risk. Depending on the subtype of tick-borne encephalitis, the mortality rate is Structure of tick-borne encephalitis virus and its neutralization by a monoclonal antibody from 1–2% (Central European subtype) to 20% (Far Eastern).

But even if it did not come to a lethal outcome, the infection can cause serious neurological disorders (mental problems, disorders of the musculoskeletal system up to paralysis of the limbs, deterioration of vision and hearing, and so on), which will persist until the end of life.

According to statistics, carriers of tick-borne encephalitis are six out of 100 ticks. At the same time, from 2 to 6% of bitten people fall ill.

The problem is that it is impossible to know in advance whether you are lucky or you will be among the seriously injured. There are too many factors involved. For example, the personal characteristics of immunity. Or a subtype of the virus (Far Eastern ticks are much more dangerous than European and Siberian ticks, and each of them can be found throughout Russia). And of course, the dose of the virus injected by the insect into the bloodstream.

Therefore, it is extremely important to recognize tick-borne encephalitis in time - preferably at the earliest possible stage - and prescribe appropriate treatment.

How to recognize tick-borne encephalitis

It all depends on when you suspect something.

You have found a tick on yourself

How to remove the bloodsucker on your own, Lifehacker has already written. However, you can do this:

Once you've done this, don't throw the insect away. The ideal option is to take it for analysis to a virological laboratory (such are available both at public and private centers). The addresses of laboratories and points for the prevention of tick-borne infections in Russia can be found. It is important to observe the following conditions:

1. Place the tick in a test tube or small container with a tight-fitting lid. Desirable - on a cotton swab moistened with water.
2. The analysis must be carried out no later than three days after the removal of the insect. This is how much DNA necessary for analysis is stored in the bloodsucker's body.
3. Analyze not only tick-borne encephalitis, but also borreliosis (Lyme disease). This infection is also carried by ticks and is just as dangerous.

If the analysis of the insect gives a positive result, the laboratory will give you a certificate of this and a referral to an infectious disease doctor.

At the same stage, you can make an emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis - introduce immunoglobulin. However, there are a number of nuances here. Firstly, such prevention will be effective only within three days after the bite - that is, you may simply not have time to get the results of the tick analysis. Secondly, the method has several contraindications, including allergy to the components of the drug. Thirdly, it is far from the fact that you will find the necessary immunoglobulin in your or neighboring polyclinics: you will have to contact commercial centers.

Have tested positive or suspect you have symptoms

The good news is that even if the test is positive, it doesn't mean that you are infected. The bad news is that you won't be able to establish yes or no right away. A blood test for tick-borne encephalitis will be effective only 10 days after the bite. Antibodies (IgM) to the tick-borne encephalitis virus, which will show whether the body is fighting the infection, can be detected no earlier than two weeks after the bite.

If you have not found a tick on yourself, however, you associate the deterioration of the condition with a recent walk in the forest, contact a therapist. An experienced doctor will conduct an examination, ask about the symptoms (with tick-borne encephalitis, they are similar to the symptoms of other diseases: flu, vascular pathologies of the brain, poliomyelitis, tumors of the central nervous system, and here it is important not to confuse) and, if necessary, will send you to an infectious disease specialist. Further - for analyzes.

How to treat tick-borne encephalitis

There is no specific treatment for tick-borne encephalitis - that is, a treatment that could eliminate the cause of the disease - does not exist. With confirmed encephalitis, the victims are hospitalized: this makes it easier to relieve symptoms and control the condition.

In some cases, an antiviral drug based on iodophenazone may be prescribed. It curbs the spread of infection and improves immunity.

How to protect yourself from tick-borne encephalitis

1. When going outdoors, wear tall shoes, long pants, and long sleeves. Tuck your legs into shoes, high socks, and t-shirts and shirts into trousers. A headdress is required. It is good if the clothes are light and monochromatic: it is easier to notice a tick on it.
2. While you are in nature, regularly inspect clothes (including those around you) and exposed areas of the body: arms, neck, and so on.
3. Avoid forest areas with tall grasses and bushes. Especially in April - July, when the ticks are very active. Most often, ticks choose shaded grassy places for hunting, marked by sweat of warm-blooded animals, so try not to walk along the paths of livestock.
4. Use repellents containing the insecticide permethrin and the chemical compound diethyltoluamide (DEET). They should be sprayed onto clothing, not skin.
5. Upon returning home, be sure to wash your clothes at a temperature not lower than 60 ° C. The fact is that the mite larvae are very small and can be overlooked.
6. Take a shower. Carefully examine and feel the body, especially the scalp and the area under the knees. Involve loved ones to view hard-to-reach areas, such as your back.
7. Do not drink raw milk from cows and goats, the contents of which you have no idea about.
8. If you need better protection, talk to your doctor about the tick-borne encephalitis vaccine. The vaccine will help your body develop antibodies in advance, which will easily fight off a tick-borne attack later. True, there is a significant nuance: it makes sense to vaccinate before the start of the warm season, preferably in winter. To have an effect, you will need to enter two doses, which will take about a month and a half.