The first fatal disease in Europe: the regions of Lithuania where the greatest danger is

According to the Center for Communicable Diseases and AIDS, up to 4% of people die from tick-borne encephalitis. sick. And for some recovering, residual phenomena can lead to disability. Although vaccination is the most effective way to prevent this disease, Milda Žygutienė, Chief Specialist of the Communicable Disease Management Division of the Vilnius Department of the Vilnius Department of the SSC, told Delfi about other measures by which we can protect ourselves. of ticks and their diseases.

However, it is important to be safe from the coronavirus before traveling in the wild. In preparing for such a journey, we must not forget not only protection against ticks, but also personal protective equipment against the virus. And the most important rule is to avoid large companies.

– Lithuania is said to lead among European countries in the number of ticks, is that true?

– Comparing the number of ticks in Europe is difficult because many countries do not carry out research. We cannot make such a comparison. I think it’s about the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease. In the case of tick-borne encephalitis, Lithuania has led for several years in a row. And the abundance of ticks is very different everywhere and due to global warming, the population is spreading north. If Swedes with Norwegians were calmer a decade ago, this is no longer the case.

– For what reasons does this blood pump seem to be increasing in our country every year?

– We cannot say that the number increases every year, for example, in 2018 the incidence was very low. And last year, more than 25 cases per 100,000. population, which is very high morbidity, and has never been before. When it comes to tick-borne diseases, it must be emphasized that they tend to “swell.” We have a high incidence in Lithuania due to the extremely good conditions for the spread of ticks. and it becomes a great source of nutrition.

– In what natural conditions are you most?

– Ticks are not demanding on the environment, it is important to have enough moisture and food. Lithuania is a country with a lot of vegetation and forests and a lot of food for ticks. First of all, forest animals, of which we have many, birds, small rodents. We preserve our nature and do not use many pesticides, which is good for all animals whose blood is fed by ticks. Small rodents are an important reservoir of pathogens for tick-borne diseases.

– How do hot / cold climates, rain, snow, or drought affect tick reproduction?

– Our climate is extremely suitable for them. The only thing that kills the mite is prolonged drought in the summer. So the mites lose moisture and can die, they have to hide, find places to survive. They also lose the opportunity to eat, although they may starve for a long time, but not for life. Also, cold winters. When the upper floor freezes without snow and remains for a long time. Unfortunately, there are no such in Lithuania now.

– How is the prevalence of ticks calculated nationally, how are they distributed in Lithuania?

– In Lithuania, ticks are counted and controlled at special stationary points. They are widespread throughout Lithuania, from border to border. In some of them more, in others less. As the seasons change, its abundance varies. The most active and most of them occur in early May. After eating, they digest blood, calm down, do not dive into the next stage of life, females lay eggs and spend time under forest cover. At that point, they are declining. They like deciduous forests more. In the sand and pine forests, their abundance is less, but this does not mean that they do not exist.

Also, in places where ticks are very numerous, most of them are not necessarily infected. Not all mites are infected. 1 in 100 has tick-borne encephalitis and 15-20 percent of Lyme disease. of all ticks in Lithuania. However, the prevalence of the latter disease is very different. A forest can have 3% and the adjacent one, already 33%. Ticks infected with tick-borne encephalitis are found mainly in central Lithuania, Utena, Kaunas, Vilnius, Panevėžys, Lyme disease counties in large city counties except Klaipėda county. But vigilance should not be lost, there are no clean districts in Lithuania.

– The extremely hot last winter means there will be more ticks this year, why?

– Forecasts in this area – a thankless thing. We can’t predict, at least this year, entirely, because we haven’t had a winter like this year in history yet. Clearly, it was not difficult for them to survive. Previously, there were no active ticks for three months of the year (December, January, February), but this is no longer the case. They could also feed, especially in good places, for example parks, because our pets run in hot weather, birds fly, forest animals run, people walk. What situation we will see only in the course of the year. But don’t forget that the start of a great activity is here. When the sun comes up and the average temperature is 7-8 degrees, they will be very active.

– In what way would it be possible to reduce the tick population at the national level, are there methods for its eradication in Lithuania at the state level?

– The decrease in population is, above all, a failure to reproduce. If we take good care of the environment, we will not allow the grass to grow more than 10 cm from the beginning of spring, and we will do it until the fall, when the tick breeds. In this way, the places of interest of people in cities, parks, recreational areas, walking trails and their surroundings must be supervised. The grass around the places to visit should be cut 1.5 to 2 meters around the trails so that the person does not remove the ticks from the tall grass when walking. It is advisable to cut low-value bushes, not to leave young trees, where ticks can hide and retain moisture, in the low grass it is not good for them. But generally, the simple is uninteresting and people want more sophisticated protection options and the grass is mowed in the summer when it is high, neglected since the early spring, which is critical when the ticks wake up.

– How should people protect themselves?

– The main thing is to take care of your patio and behave properly. Sometimes people don’t think that after leaving their well-groomed territory, even on a walkway, say, they can catch a mite and transport it. It is very important: the right clothes, repellents go to nature. These measurements should be used carefully after reading the manufacturer’s description. They should only be isolated from ticks, as they require a higher concentration of active substance to repel them. It is denoted by four letters: DEET. Its concentration in the repellent must be greater, then it will be effective. If the description indicates that the repellent repels flies, mosquitoes and all others, including ticks, it is unlikely to work on the latter, but attention needs to be paid to the concentration of the substance.

The next thing is to look at your body thoroughly and in detail only when you return from work or rest in nature. It is very important to remove the vacuumed mite as soon as possible. In order for a mite to transmit the agent of Lyme disease, it must remain in the body for 24-48 hours because the agent is located in the middle intestine of the tick. The mite has to pour the pumped blood into the wound, which takes longer. Unfortunately, the first 10 minutes after ingestion is sufficient to transmit the tick-borne encephalitis virus. This virus is localized in the salivary glands, so it enters human blood after the first drop of saliva is released before the mite is pumped. Today, we have the best and most affordable remedy for tick-borne encephalitis: vaccines. Lithuanians are already vaccinating, but we would like to see more vaccinators.