Tick-borne diseases will be even more common this year than last year: some basic rules will help prevent it

This year is exceptional

The incidence of tick-borne diseases is characterized by seasonality, that is, and. you are sick while the ticks are active. The period from March to December is considered the activity season for ticks in Lithuania. The largest number of tick-borne diseases in Lithuania is generally registered in June – October, and the disease generally begins in April. 2019 The first case of tick-borne encephalitis was recorded in April and this year, a month earlier, in March.

NVSC specialists in 2019–2020. The season is viewed as exceptional.

“Due to the warming of climate change, we did not have a normal winter, during which the air temperature would drop well below freezing and therefore remain at least for some time.” In other words, the ticks did not sleep this year, making it possible to detect them throughout the year. Such changes also led to changes in the seasonality of morbidity, in 2019. In December, 12 Lithuanian residents became ill with tick-borne diseases. Such cases have occurred before, but fewer, “says Milda Žygutienė, entomologist, infectious disease specialist at NVSC.

The changes are evident when evaluating not only the seasonality of morbidity but also the number of cases. Last year (2019), the highest incidence of tick-borne diseases was recorded in Lithuania. However, a comparison of preliminary data from the first five months of this year with the same period last year shows that there are more patients this year. 2019 In January – May, this year there were 33 cases of tick-borne encephalitis and 245 cases of Lyme disease, more than 50 cases of tick-borne encephalitis, and more than 300 cases of Lyme disease.

We should all be careful

It is often believed that only those people who spend a lot of time in nature, such as mushrooms and berries, should be careful with ticks. However, epidemiological research carried out over many years shows that it is often transmitted in its immediate environment: in the yard, the garden, the farm. Furthermore, it is not possible to point out such places, cities, districts where the prevalence of ticks would be lower.

“Ticks can be fulfilled throughout the territory of Lithuania. Unfortunately, ticks are also disease carriers throughout Lithuania, i. and. In all districts, both the tick-borne encephalitis virus and the causative agent of Lyme disease were detected in ticks, “says Milda Žygutienė.

We remind you that people contract tick-borne diseases after being infected by an infected tick. Tick-borne encephalitis can also be transmitted through the consumption of unpasteurized goat’s or cow’s milk. In Lithuania, such cases occur every year.

As this year will be exceptional also because many holidays will be spent in Lithuania, specialists advise to be vigilant and pay attention to the main protection measures against tick-borne diseases:

– provide vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis;

– to care for your yards, farms – to mow the lawn often;

– wear light clothing that covers the whole body when spending time in the forest, park;

– use of tick repellents;

– Upon returning from the forest, carefully inspect the entire body, find a sucked mite, remove it and monitor its health;

– Contact your doctor immediately if you notice redness at the injection site, if you experience flu-like symptoms.

– use only pasteurized milk (at 70 ° C the virus dies in 5 minutes).