Ticks are small insects that suck blood. They belong to the order of arachnids. The forest mites are the most dangerous. Beware of their bites due to the transmission of the infection that they carry. A person may not feel the introduction of a tick into their skin due to the anesthetic substance that it secretes. What are the consequences of an encephalitic tick bite in humans?
How to recognize an encephalitis tick?
You cannot tell by the appearance of a tick whether it is contagious or not. You can find out if he is a carrier of encephalitis if you conduct an examination of the insect in the laboratory. The virus can be found in the tick itself, its larvae and nymphs. After all, the infection of an insect occurs in the process of its life on a sick animal.
Can a tick bite?
What are the consequences of an encephalitic tick bite? An insect can bite a person, because it is introduced into the skin by twisting the proboscis. On it are teeth with which the insect can stay on the body for a long time. This method of getting a tick is called hisbite.
Adult insects wait a long time for their prey in grass or bushes, and then attach themselves to clothes or body parts. Ticks do not jump or fall from trees, so they have to travel a long way to reach the site of introduction. They are soft or warm areas of the human body.
The tick bite itself is not felt by a person. At the moment of contact with the skin, the insect releases an anesthetic, which helps it to gain a foothold on the body completely imperceptibly.
A person has places where a tick traditionally takes root:
- ear and head area;
- neck area;
- elbow and knee bends;
- groin;
- armpits.
Many are interested in the consequences of an encephalitic tick bite in humans (a photo of the insect itself will help to distinguish it from other arachnids).
The bite is initially impossible to notice, because the insect continues to remain on the body. The detected tick must be immediately removed from the body. This should be done by doctors in a medical institution. The probability of a person being infected with encephalitis depends on the time the tick has been in the human body and the amount of virus that has entered the bloodstream.
However, not all people approach tick bites responsibly, many go to the doctor when the disease begins to show unpleasant symptoms.
How dangerous is the encephalitic tick?
What are the consequences afteran encephalitic tick bite? The main danger posed by ticks is their bites, through which they transmit serious diseases. It is these insects that pose a threat to people living in the territory of the former Soviet Union.
Encephalitis or borreliosis can only infect a person with a forest tick. These diseases are dangerous because they lead to serious consequences, and sometimes death. Most often, people develop neurological or psychiatric disorders.
Infection occurs in 2 ways:
- First - the virus appears in the body due to an insect bite.
- Second - poison enters the human bloodstream along with milk or other products that are obtained from infected: cows, goats or sheep. It is better to buy such products from sellers who monitor the safety of their goods.
If the virus is transmitted through the blood, it will not be possible to avoid infection. After all, with a bite, the causative agent of the disease enters the blood of a person, and it is impossible to remove it.
What to do if bitten by an encephalitis tick?
The main task when a tick gets in is to extract it. To do this, you need to seek help from a doctor. If it is not possible, then you need to do this procedure yourself.
You can remove the insect painlessly. Wrap your fingers with gauze and gently shake the tick, and then twist it counterclockwise. Do not forcefully pull, and do not use sharp tools. Otherwise, the tick head maystay under the skin.
Some experts recommend lubricating the insect insertion site with alcohol.
What to do with the consequences of an encephalitis tick bite? It is worth noting that a large dose of the virus in the blood of a person can be obtained if the tick is unscrewed incorrectly. This is especially true for insect removal with oil or vinegar. In this case, the tick suffocates and injects a lot of saliva into the blood.
After removal, lubricate the wounds with iodine and observe the bite site. A safe reaction of the body is the appearance of a pink spot, which should disappear from the skin after a while.
The extracted insect must be taken to the laboratory to determine if it has an infection. The reason for contacting a specialist may be a pink spot, which does not disappear after the removal of the insect, but increases in diameter. There is also a deterioration in the general condition or a rash.
How do ticks infect with encephalitis?
You can take some precautions so that later you do not deal with the consequences of the bite of an encephalitis tick. In humans, infection occurs in the same way as in animals. For ticks, it makes no difference which victim to choose.
Ixodid insects act as a reservoir for storing the virus and transmit it through a bite.
Encephalitic virus is present in more than 130 species of warm-blooded birds and animals that carry the disease through ticks.
Tick-borne encephalitis symptoms in humans
Encephalitis is seasonal and tied toto the period of tick activity. The infestation of insects largely depends on the season, in some areas up to 70% of individuals are infected.
What are the consequences after a bite of an encephalitic tick in humans? When bitten, the virus multiplies at the point where the insect enters the human skin. Initially, there are no signs of infection. Later, the lymph nodes are damaged and the virus enters the bloodstream. Reproducing in blood cells, it spreads through the bloodstream throughout the body.
The serious danger of the disease lies in the fact that its signs become visible some time after a tick bite. It depends on the person's immunity and the amount of poison that has managed to get into the blood. If the body's defenses are weakened, then the first symptoms of the disease may appear 2 days after the bite. On average, deterioration is observed on the 10th day from infection.
Symptoms that occur after infection:
- The first signs of the disease appear within 1-2 weeks after the bite.
- After 2-4 days, there is a high temperature, muscle pain, nausea, and sometimes vomiting.
- Within a week, the patient feels the onset of relief.
- 10-12 days after a tick bite, a person experiences disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, severe migraines, convulsions and confusion.
The consequences of an encephalitic tick bite are different. With any form of the disease, a high temperature occurs, whichsometimes reaches 40 degrees. It is accompanied by general weakness and vomiting. This state continues for 10 days, because during this period the virus spreads throughout the body.
If after a feverish state all signs of the disease go away, then the patient has been affected by a febrile form of encephalitis.
If new symptoms are added to the existing ones, including disorders of the nervous system, then the disease has developed into a more complex form. Sometimes with encephalitis, after a fever that lasted seven days, relief may come.
However, this may not always mean recovery, because with a fever, a meningeal form of the disease can appear. It is manifested by fever, fear of light and muscle soreness.
Polio is a form of the disease that can cause paralysis of the limbs, which chains a person to a wheelchair.
What are the consequences of an encephalitic tick bite? They can be different: from minor ailment to serious (disability, death), if timely medical care is not available.
Treatment after a tick bite
We can move on to the next question, when it became clear to us what the consequences of a bite of an encephalitic tick in humans are. How are patients treated in this case, what methods are used? If, after an insect bite, a person has certain symptoms, then he needs to seek help from a hospital. Patient he alth controlcontinues for a month.
Treatment includes the following steps:
- The most effective remedy is anti-tick immunoglobulin. The drug has a high cost because it includes the blood of donors who are immune to this disease.
- The patient is prescribed drugs that strengthen the immune system.
- A strengthening diet can be used as a preventive measure.
- In case of suspicion of inflammation of the brain and polio, steroid hormones should be taken.
- If an epileptic seizure occurs, the doctor prescribes drugs that block their occurrence.
Treatment of adults and children should be carried out only in the infectious diseases department of the hospital. In this case, each symptom of the disease is monitored by a specialist who will take action when new complications appear.
The patient will not be able to permanently get rid of the effects of a tick bite, and he will need to see a doctor regularly.
What are the effects of an encephalitic tick bite on a child?
After the walk, parents should inspect the child's body for the presence of a tick. Most often, the insect can be located in the scalp.
The tick bite is insidious in that it cannot be detected immediately. The salivary glands of the insect have anesthetic properties, and it does not bite immediately, but is looking for a place to penetrate, where the skin is thinner and you can easily get to the vessels.
After the removal of the tick, events may develop as follows:
- If the insect was not infected, then in this case the child does not need to do anything.
- A baby who is prone to allergies may experience slight redness, swelling and itching at the bite site. The child's slight discomfort will disappear after a while without causing harm.
- If a tick is infected, various symptoms may occur: high fever, headache, loss of appetite, lethargy and more.
What are the consequences of an encephalitic tick bite in a child? The consequences of an insect bite in children are unpredictable: in each case, the severity of the child's condition will depend on the amount of virus that has entered the bloodstream, as well as the individual characteristics of the body and the timeliness of treatment. Among the serious consequences that arise are:
- flaccid paralysis, usually of the arms;
- muscle twitching;
- 9% are fatal within a week of being infected;
- Chronic carriage of the virus.
Parents should protect their children from tick-borne encephalitis infection, because insects can overtake a child in parks and alleys.
Tick bite prevention
So, in order to avoid the consequences after the bite of an encephalitic tick, it is necessary to take preventive measures against infection with the virus, which consist in limiting contact with this insect. To protect yourself from a tick bite:
- When hiking in the forest, minimize the number of open areas on the human body. Clothing should be worn with longsleeves and tuck pants into boots. A headdress must be present on the head.
- Heading into the forest, it is necessary to apply special anti-mite preparations to the skin.
- When moving through the forest, it is better to choose the middle of the path and avoid tall plants and shrubs.
- After returning from a walk, check all clothing for ticks. After all, the insect does not immediately penetrate the skin, but searches for the best place within a few hours. In this way, a tick bite can be prevented.
- All clothes worn by a person on a walk must be cleaned.
- You can get vaccinated as a preventive measure, especially before visiting hazardous areas.
- Before going into the forest, take with you everything you need that you may need in case of a tick bite. Pharmacies sell kits that include: tweezers, disinfectants for the bite site and more.
Carrying out preventive measures in a complex, a person can protect himself and his loved ones from the occurrence of a disease that can cause an encephalitis tick.
Tips and tips needed
The effects of an encephalitis tick bite can be avoided by following these tips:
- Before a picnic, you can treat your clothes with a special agent with acaricides that can kill ticks. After returning home, it is necessary to inspect not only people's clothes, but also the hair of pets, which are also bitten.insects.
- You can get bitten by a tick even in your own garden, so you need to mow tall grass and get rid of unnecessary shrubs.
- For a picnic in the forest, you need to choose a sandy place or a dry forest.
It is completely impossible to prevent a tick bite, but if an insect is found on the skin, urgent medical attention should be sought to avoid serious consequences.
