Tick-borne encephalitis is an extremely complex disease. It is a severe inflammation of the human brain. At the same time, patients suffer from fever, a painful condition, and internal organs stop working normally. CNS damage occurs, due to which this dangerous virus can even be fatal.
The disease is transmitted by male ticks. The development of the disease occurs after an insect bite. You can get infected even if you drink goat's or cow's milk if the animal has been infected with a parasite. Therefore, with the beginning of the summer season, it is recommended to be vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis. Vaccination is carried out for both adults and children. However, this procedure, like the disease itself, has a number of features that you should be aware of.
Signs of tick-borne encephalitis
At the initial stage, the disease strongly resembles the common flu. Patients suffer from weakness, chills, pain in the limbs, etc. However, within 5-13 days, the development of the disease occurs. During this time, a person does not observe significant changes inhis condition. Most often, the development of pathology stops at the first stage, however, progression of the disease is observed in 20-30%.
During this period, the nervous system is damaged, muscle rigidity is observed, patients have serious problems with memory and thinking. In some situations, complete paralysis or coma occurs. That is why experts strongly recommend preventing the development of this terrible disease and vaccinating children and adults against tick-borne encephalitis in a timely manner.
Diagnosis
There are three methods to detect this disease. The method of serological research is based on the study of the properties of human or animal blood serum. The molecular biological method involves the study of molecules for the presence of specific chemical elements that indicate the presence of encephalitis. To do this, after a tick bite, be sure to save it and show it to a specialist. This method of determining infection is considered the most reliable.
There is also a virological method. To do this, you need to take a sample of the patient's cerebrospinal fluid and send the sample for research.
Treatment and prevention
To date, there is no specific treatment for this disease. If a person notices alarming symptoms, then he needs urgent hospitalization. As a rule, at the beginning of the treatment of the disease, immunoglobulin and gamma globulin are used, which can be obtained from a donor's blood.
Thanks to drugs of this type, fever, headaches and other unpleasantsymptoms. However, to obtain a noticeable effect, drugs should be started as soon as possible after the detection of alarming symptoms.
How vaccination can help
Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis helps not only to identify a life-threatening infection, but also to help the body produce the necessary antibodies to fight the disease. As soon as a person receives medicine through an injection, immunoglobulins begin to form in his body. As soon as a person is bitten by a tick, alien antiviruses will immediately begin to be destroyed.
Thanks to this, the tick-borne encephalitis vaccine helps protect the body from a dangerous disease. The effectiveness of such injections is 95%.
Why vaccinate a child
Many are apprehensive about this procedure, as they fear that the baby will receive a dose of a potent agent that can harm the body. In fact, tick-borne encephalitis is a much more dangerous problem that can lead to irreparable consequences.
When considering the need to vaccinate children against tick-borne encephalitis, it should be borne in mind that restless little ones spend much more time outdoors than adults. Parents cannot always keep track of what their baby is doing. A child may accidentally pick up a tick in tall grass, bushes, or even while playing with other children.
After every walk with a child, and especially if he is out of town, it is important to always check his clothes, skin and hair for the presence of dangerous insects. If athe child is bitten by a parasite, and before that he had not been vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis, then it is important not to destroy the insect. The tick must be placed in a vessel with a lid and be sure to take it to the doctor.
However, it is much easier to avoid danger and get vaccinated.
Vaccination Features
Tick-borne encephalitis vaccination is usually valid for 3 years. After this time, it is recommended to repeat the vaccination. After the procedure, a child or an adult can relax in the fresh air completely calmly.
According to statistics, only in 10% of cases after the procedure, the human body produces the necessary antibodies very poorly, which makes the medicine less effective. However, even in this case, encephalitis is much easier to tolerate.
If we talk about what vaccinations against tick-borne encephalitis are used today, then most often specialists use the so-called dry vaccination, Encevir, FSME-Immun Inject or Encepur. The choice of the best drug is best done with the attending physician, who is aware of the characteristics of the body of a particular person.
Vaccination schedule
Usually the first vaccination is carried out by agreement with the doctor. The second injection is given after 30-90 days, depending on the drug chosen and the person's he alth. The third procedure is carried out after 6-12 months.
There is also the so-called emergency vaccination. This means that the second vaccination is given 14 days after the first procedure. The standard scheme follows.
Toand when to vaccinate
First of all, those who live in the most disadvantaged regions (according to the statistics of diseases with this disease) should think about the procedure. Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis is a must for those who spend a lot of time in nature or have suburban real estate near the forest.
Vaccination is mandatory:
- To agricultural workers.
- Builders.
- For loggers.
- Hydromeliorators.
- To prospectors.
- Professionals involved in survey work.
- To all workers who operate in tick areas.
- Donors immunized to receive immunoglobulin.
- Employees who are in direct contact with ticks (for example, employees of scientific laboratories).
The procedure should be carried out in the spring, in March-April. At this time, the foliage begins to turn green and the mites are "activated". However, vaccination should be done some time before the opening of the summer season.
It is recommended that the child be vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis after reaching the age of 1 year. Up to this point, you should limit yourself to the standard measures to protect the baby: protect his head when in nature, treat the skin with protective sprays, etc.
Contraindications
Despite the benefits of the tick-borne encephalitis vaccine, vaccination is not a completely safe procedure. First of all, it is important to make surethat the adult or child does not suffer from individual intolerance to the drug. Also, vaccination is prohibited if a person suffers from:
- Epilepsy.
- Kidney infections and liver diseases.
- Tuberculosis.
- Blood diseases.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Disturbances in the endocrine system.
- Systemic diseases affecting connective tissues.
- Malignant neoplasms.
- Allergic reactions (especially to chicken eggs).
Those who are prone to strokes and suffering from coronary heart disease also need to be careful.
There are temporary conditions under which such a procedure can be harmful. The tick-borne encephalitis vaccine is contraindicated for adults and children if they have a fever or if the person has recently had a respiratory or viral illness. It is impossible to carry out the procedure for pregnant women and infants.
Side effects
After vaccination, some patients complain about:
- Nausea.
- Elevated body temperature.
- Swelling and redness on the skin at the injection site.
- Muscle and joint ache.
- Headache.
- Weakness and drowsiness.
If we are talking about a child, then in addition he may have bouts of diarrhea, swollen lymph nodes. Some people experience palpitations. Such symptoms are considered absolutely normal after vaccination. As a rule, unpleasant manifestations disappear in 3-4 days aftervaccination. If this does not happen and the baby's condition only worsens, you should immediately consult a doctor.
In rare situations, patients' vision deteriorates and mental disorders appear. To avoid side effects, it is important to follow the doctor's recommendations.
How to avoid complications after an injection
In order not to worsen the state of he alth, it is important to follow some important advice from doctors:
- Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis is possible only if the person is he althy. If he was ill with acute respiratory viral infections or acute respiratory infections, it is necessary to wait a few weeks if a foreign drug was used and more than a month when using domestic medicines until the body is fully restored.
- Antiallergic drugs should be taken a few days before vaccination.
- Immediately after the injection, it is recommended to take an antipyretic. This will help to avoid body aches and weakness.
- After vaccination, you can not seal the injection site with a plaster or lubricate it with ointments and other means. This will lead to additional irritation, and severe itching may occur.
- To ease the condition of the child after the procedure, you can give him an antihistamine.
Many are afraid to wet the injection site. Do not be afraid of water. You can take a shower in the usual mode, no negative reaction will follow.
Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis: testimonials of vaccinated
Many parentsat first they are afraid to carry out such a procedure, as they are afraid of complications. Some find information that the vaccine is very painful and the kids can hardly tolerate it. However, according to most reviews, both the first and second vaccinations pass without any problems or complications.
Some say that adults really tolerate the procedure much easier. However, even in the presence of weakness in children, all these symptoms, as a rule, disappear on the second day after vaccination.
As practice shows, the procedure rarely leads to severe allergic reactions, if you follow all the doctor's instructions. Almost all users note that after the procedure they feel much calmer and are not afraid to get sick with a terrible disease.
Additional information
Vaccination is done in the outer side of the shoulder, subcutaneously. The injection should fall on the area of the deltoid muscle. In this case, the possibility of getting the drug into the circulatory system is excluded.
Few people know that the second peak of tick activity occurs in autumn. Therefore, vaccinations should be planned in such a way that at least 2 weeks pass after vaccination before going to nature, even if the foliage on the trees has already begun to turn yellow.
In addition to encephalitis, ticks carry a huge number of other diseases against which the vaccine is not able to protect. Therefore, experts recommend that you be careful when you are in nature. Today, there are a large number of products, having treated the skin with which, you can avoid contact withthese dangerous insects.
It is a mistake to believe that only a single injection of the drug can protect a person from illness. If a tick has bitten a person between the first and second vaccination, you should immediately consult a doctor, as there is a high risk that the medicine has not yet activated the body's defense systems.
It is good to know that the encephalitis vaccine is well compatible with other injections. However, you should definitely inform your doctor about other vaccines. In this case, he will put an injection in a different place in order to prevent the concentration of drugs in one part of the body. Particular care must be taken when it comes to a small child.
