A number of tick-borne flaviviruses have been found in Eurasia. Many of them are known to cause diseases in farm animals, such as sheep's whirligig (in the UK).
The incidence is characterized by very strong geographic differences. The main risk factors are being in nature and consuming raw milk, especially goat's milk.
Incubation period lasts 7-14 days, possibly longer.
Taiga spring-summer encephalitis, as a rule, is more acute and more severe than Central European encephalitis, starting immediately with neurological symptoms. It is characterized by a high mortality rate and a high incidence of residual neurological defects, mainly flaccid paralysis of the muscles of the neck, shoulder girdle, shoulder and trunk.
At an early stage of the disease, the virus can be isolated from the blood. After the attachment of neurological symptoms, IgM antibodies are detected in the blood and CSF. Sometimes, already at an early stage, thrombocytopenia develops, as in some other flavivirus infections transmitted by ixodid ticks (for example, in the disease of the Kyasanur forest).
There is no etiotropic treatment for these infections.
In Austria, Germany and Russia, effective inactivated vaccines against tick-borne encephalitis with aluminum salts as an adjuvant are being produced. The Austrian vaccine against tick-borne encephalitis provides antiviral immunity if it is administered twice with an interval of 0.5-3 months. The rest of the vaccines are about as effective. In rare cases, vaccination is complicated by Guillain-Barré syndrome, so it is indicated only for people living in natural foci or visiting them in the spring and summer.
In vitro, neutralizing antibodies to Central European encephalitis virus cross-react with taiga spring-summer encephalitis virus and vice versa, but whether vaccination provides cross-protection in the field is unknown.
In natural foci, from 0.2 to 4% of ticks are infected, therefore, if adhered ticks are found on the body, the question of immunoprophylaxis arises. Tick-borne encephalitis immunoglobulin may be promptly initiated, although its efficacy has not been studied in controlled trials. In any case, the drug should not be administered after the development of the infection, as this can aggravate its course.
With the arrival of spring, the population visits forest areas in order to collect birch sap, the first flowers, organize leisure activities, while forgetting about precautions. Visiting the suburbs and forest areas always carries the risk of a tick bite, which causes an outbreak of tick-borne encephalitis.
“Tick-borne encephalitis is a serious disease in which the brain becomes inflamed. Its causative agent is the smallest organism from the group of viruses, which can be seen only with the help of an electron microscope, which gives an increase of tens and hundreds of thousands of times. The size of the tick-borne encephalitis virus is 30 nanometers. " This tiny organism lives in the body forest tick up to 4 years. The tick is the main guardian of the causative agent of the disease in nature and the main source of human infection. Therefore, the disease was named "Tick-borne encephalitis".
q Viral infection is transmitted mainly by ticks q Seasonality - spring - summer q Affects nervous system q In the absence of proper prevention and treatment, leads to disability (80%) q Mortality ranges from 2% to 20%
Ticks are most active in spring and summer (in some areas in autumn). At this time, being in nature (it does not matter - in the forest, on country cottage, fishing) you need to be extremely careful: - try to walk along the paths, away from tall grass and bushes; - you should put on a scarf or a cap on your head, and it is best to walk in a jacket with a hood, trousers should be tucked into boots or pressed with elastic bands to the ankle;
- self and mutual examinations when leaving the forest, returning home - you need to undress and carefully examine the skin - whether the tick has sucked where; - the possibility of infection - the use of raw milk from goats or cows (when boiling, the virus dies after 2 minutes).
Immunoglobulin protects against infection for several weeks (up to a month). If a tick bites you after a few days, you do not need to give the injection again. Immunoglobulin should also be administered to a vaccinated person if a lot of ticks have sucked.
Simultaneously taking cycloferon 4 tablets on the first day, 2 tablets for 2, 4, 6 days of preventive treatment.
Self and mutual assistance (if you are not in the city) is the removal of a tick: pre-grease the bite site with fat (petroleum jelly, sunflower oil), after 15 minutes, carefully pull out a loop made of thread, swinging from side to side.
Destruction of the tick should be avoided as a virus infection may occur! Treat the bite site with iodine or alcohol.
People whose work is related to being in the forest (surveyors, foresters, summer residents) need to be vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis. Without vaccination, they will not be allowed to work.
Vaccinated people get sick less often, they have mild forms in case of illness. The full course of vaccination consists of 3 vaccinations, so it is best to do 2 vaccinations in the fall, and the last - 3 vaccinations in the spring 2 weeks before going out into the forest. You can be vaccinated according to the abbreviated scheme - two vaccinations, but the effectiveness of such vaccination is lower. In order for immunity to tick-borne encephalitis to remain, it is necessary to repeat the vaccination next spring. Revaccination every 3 years.
The spread of ticks, carriers of the encephalitis virus, has recently been on the rise, including those associated with human economic activities (better to say, with mismanagement - the organization of spontaneous dumps and garbage heaps) and an increase in the number of mice that carry ticks. Visiting the suburbs and forest zones is always associated with the risk of a tick bite and tick-borne encephalitis. There are some simple folk ways scaring away ticks.
There is an experience of highly efficient use of impregnation of clothes with exhaust gases from diesel engines of cars and tractors for 30 seconds. After such treatment, mites are not found on clothes for 4-5 hours. The natural enemy of ticks is forest ants. The acid they produce is a natural repellent and can be used to protect against ticks. Formic alcohol, which, after dilution with water 20-30 times, can be used to process clothes and skin of the lower extremities before visiting woodlands, summer cottages and recreational areas. The smell of formic alcohol repels ticks.
In the forest zone, you can resort to a different method of processing clothing and skin, limbs with this tool. You can put your palms in an anthill of red ants for a few seconds and then process slack legs with them, as ticks live mainly on shrubs and in the grassy zone no higher than 70 cm above the ground. The technique should be repeated several times, and the sleeves and collar of clothing can be processed for greater reliability of protective measures.
Of course, all of the above does not exclude the possibility of using repellents sold in pharmacies. But if they are not there, do not neglect our simple but very effective tools.
What is encephalitis? Tick-borne Encephalitis is a viral natural focal disease with a predominant lesion of the central nervous system Komariny
Diagram of life cycles of ticks 3 2 16000 eggs 2. Female sucking blood, laying eggs 3. Larva.
Methods of infection Tick bite Blood thinners and pain relievers are present in tick saliva Crushing and rubbing a sucked tick Eating infected raw goat and cow milk
Conditions of infestation Visiting the forest 1. The tick sits on blades of grass or trees. 2. Cannot fly or jump. 3. Can cling to a victim. 4. May fall on her. The introduction of ticks by animals (dogs, cats) The introduction of ticks by people (on clothes, with flowers, branches)
How does the disease develop? 1. Incubation period - 1, 5 -2 weeks 2. Damage to the cerebral cortex (soft membrane and gray matter) for several days 3. Inflammation of the whole brain (white matter) Symptoms: - headaches - vomiting - loss of consciousness (up to coma) - body t 39 -40 C.
Complications of tick-borne encephalitis Fatal outcome (death) In 30 -60% of those who have recovered From 2% to 20% Flaccid paralysis of the limbs Complete paralysis of the left limb Violation of the neck muscles
First aid for a tick bite What to do? 1. Lubricate the sucked tick with fat (petroleum jelly, cream, sunflower oil) 2. Wait 12 -20 minutes 3. With a thread loop or tweezers, gently pull the tick from side to side 4. Try not to destroy the tick 5. Burn the removed tick or flood it boiling water 6. Treat the bite site with alcohol, iodine, hydrogen peroxide, etc. 7. Wash your hands Do not! Do not crush a tick, since you can become infected with a virus contained in its internal organs
Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis Wearing special clothes in the forest Self-and mutual examinations at the exit from the forest and on halts Boiling raw goat and cow milk Use of liquid and aerosol preparations for fighting insects
kaya chesfi ci actika Sp il rof p tiv proving g i vievo pr mite alita nce f e ia) nats kci (va Children under 10 free of charge
Where is malaria spread? Malaria is common in Asia, Africa and Central and South America... In about 100 countries; approximately 40% of the world's population is at risk of developing malaria. If you are going to any of these countries, be sure to follow the precautions.
Kills people ... This infection threatens almost a third of the world's population. More than 2 million people die from malaria every year. In Africa alone, one in twenty children dies from malaria or its consequences, and 1,500 women in labor die every day. For example, in India, the incidence of malaria has increased 70-fold over the past 20 years, reaching a record figure of 50 million cases per year.
Tick-borne encephalitis (encephalitis of the spring-summer type, taiga encephalitis) is a viral infection that affects the central and peripheral nervous system. Severe complications of an acute infection can result in paralysis and death.
The main carriers of the encephalitis virus in nature are ixodid ticks, whose habitat is located throughout the forest and forest-steppe temperate climatic zone of the Eurasian continent. Despite the significant number of species of ixodid ticks, only two species are of real epidemiological significance: Ixodes Persulcatus ( taiga tick) in the Asian and in some areas of the European part, Ixodes Ricinus ( European forest tick) - in the European part.
Tick-borne encephalitis is characterized by a strict spring-summer seasonality of the onset of the disease, associated with the seasonal activity of vectors. In the range of I. Persulcatus, the disease occurs in the spring and the first half of summer (May-June), when the biological activity of this tick species is highest. For ticks of the species I. Ricinus, there is an increase in biological activity twice per season, and in the range of this tick, 2 peaks of seasonal incidence of tick-borne encephalitis are characteristic: in spring (May-June) and at the end of summer (August-September).
Infection human tick-borne encephalitis virus occurs during the bloodsucking of viral mites. The female ticks suck blood for many days, and when fully saturated, she increases in weight 80-120 times. Males usually suck blood for several hours and may go unnoticed. The transmission of the tick-borne encephalitis virus can occur in the first minutes of the tick's attachment to a person. It is also possible to get infected through the digestive and gastrointestinal tracts when taking raw milk from goats and cows infected with tick-borne encephalitis.
Signs of tick-borne encephalitis... The incubation period of tick-borne encephalitis lasts on average 7-14 days with fluctuations from one day to 30 days. There is a transient weakness in the limbs, neck muscles, numbness of the skin of the face and neck. The disease often begins acutely, with chills and an increase in body temperature to 38-40 ° C. The fever lasts 2 to 10 days. General malaise, a sharp headache, nausea and vomiting, weakness, fatigue, sleep disturbances appear. In the acute period, hyperemia (overflow of blood vessels of the circulatory system of any organ or area of the body) of the skin of the face, neck and chest, mucous membrane of the oropharynx, injection of the sclera and conjunctiva are noted.
Disturbed by pain in the whole body and limbs. Muscle pains are characteristic, especially significant in muscle groups, in which paresis (partial loss of muscle strength) and paralysis usually occur in the future. From the moment of the onset of the disease, there may be clouding of consciousness, stunnedness, the intensification of which can reach the degree of coma. Often, different sizes of erythema (reddening of the skin caused by the expansion of capillaries) appear at the site of mite suction.
If symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis are detected, the patient should be urgently admitted to an infectious diseases hospital for intensive treatment.
Treatment patients with tick-borne encephalitis is carried out according to general principles, regardless of previously conducted prophylactic vaccinations or the use of specific gamma globulin ( medicinal product containing antibacterial and antiviral antibodies).
In the acute period of the disease, even in milder forms, patients should be prescribed bed rest until the symptoms of intoxication disappear. Almost complete restriction of movement, gentle transportation, minimization of painful irritations improve the prognosis of the disease. An equally important role in treatment is balanced diet sick. The diet is prescribed taking into account the functional disorders of the stomach, intestines, liver.
Taking into account the violations of the vitamin balance observed in a number of patients with tick-borne encephalitis, it is necessary to prescribe vitamins of group B and C. Vitamin C, which stimulates the function of the adrenal glands, as well as improves the antitoxic and pigment functions of the liver, should be administered in an amount of 300 to 1000 mg per day.
Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis
The most effective protection against tick-borne encephalitis is vaccination... Clinically healthy people are allowed to vaccinate after being examined by a physician. You can only get vaccinated in institutions licensed for this type of activity.
Modern vaccines contain inactivated (killed) tick-borne encephalitis virus. After the vaccine is administered, the immune system recognizes viral antigens and learns to fight the virus. The trained cells of the immune system begin to produce antibodies (immunoglobulins) that block the development of a virus that has entered the body. To maintain the protective concentration of immunoglobulin for a long time, it is necessary to administer several doses of the vaccine.
The effectiveness of vaccination can be assessed by the concentration of protective antibodies in the blood (IgG to tick-borne encephalitis virus).
Tick-borne encephalitis vaccines registered in Russia:
- Vaccine of tick-borne encephalitis cultural purified concentrated inactivated dry - for children over 4 years old and adults.
- EnceVir - for children over 3 years old and adults.
- FSME-IMMUN Inject - from the age of 16.
- FSME-IMMUN Junior - for children from 1 to 16 years old. (Children should be given the vaccine during their first year of life if they are at risk of contracting tick-borne encephalitis.)
- Adult Entsepur - from 12 years old.
- Encepur for children - for children from 1 to 11 years old.
The above vaccines differ in virus strains, antigen dose, degree of purification, additional components. According to the principle of action, these vaccines are the same. Imported vaccines are capable of developing immunity to Russian strains of the tick-borne encephalitis virus.
Vaccination is carried out after the end of the tick-borne season. In most regions of Russia, vaccination is possible from November. However, in case of urgent need (for example, if you have to travel to a natural focus of tick-borne encephalitis), the vaccination can be done in the summer. In this case, the protective level of antibodies appears in 21-28 days (depending on the vaccine and vaccination schedule).
Immunity appears two weeks after the introduction of the second dose, regardless of the type of vaccine and the chosen regimen. The third dose is injected to consolidate the result. Emergency schemes are not intended to protect after a tick bite, but to develop immunity as quickly as possible if the timing of standard vaccination has been missed.
To local adverse reactions include: redness, induration, soreness, swelling at the injection site, urticaria (an allergic rash that resembles that of a nettle burn), an increase in the lymph nodes nearby from the injection site. Common local reactions occur in 5% of those vaccinated. The duration of these reactions can be up to 5 days.
Common post-vaccination reactions include a rash covering large areas of the body, fever, anxiety, sleep and appetite disturbances, headache, dizziness, short-term loss of consciousness, cyanosis, cold extremities. The frequency of temperature reactions to Russian vaccines does not exceed 7%.
If a tick is sucked in, it should be removed immediately. It should be borne in mind that the likelihood of contracting tick-borne encephalitis depends on the amount of virus that penetrates during the tick "bite", that is, on the time during which the tick was in a sucked state. If you do not have the opportunity to seek help from a medical facility, then the tick will have to be removed on your own.
When self-removing a tick, the following recommendations must be observed:
A strong thread is tied into a knot as close as possible to the tick proboscis, the tick is removed by pulling it up. Sudden movements are unacceptable.
If, when removing the tick, its head comes off, which looks like a black dot, the place of suction is wiped with cotton wool or a bandage moistened with alcohol, and then the head is removed with a sterile needle (pre-calcined on fire). The way a common splinter is removed.
Removing the tick must be done with caution, without squeezing it, since it is possible to squeeze the contents of the tick together with pathogens into the wound. It is important not to rupture the tick when removing it - the remaining part in the skin can cause inflammation and suppuration. It should be borne in mind that when the tick head is torn off, the infection process can continue, since there is a significant concentration of the TBE virus in the salivary glands and ducts.
There are no grounds for some recommendations that for better removal it is recommended to apply ointment dressings to a sucked tick or use oil solutions.
After removing the tick, the skin at the site of its suction is treated with tincture of iodine or alcohol. Bandaging is usually not required.
After removing the tick, save it for testing for infection - usually such a test can be done in an infectious diseases hospital. After removing the tick, place it in a small glass bottle with a tight lid and put a cotton swab slightly moistened with water. Cap the bottle and store in the refrigerator. For microscopic diagnostics, the tick must be delivered to the laboratory alive.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
Ixodid ticks (pasture or forest) are small arachnids that spend part of their life on the host's body, feeding on the blood of humans and animals. The ticks have a small head, eight legs, a small body, and a sharp harpoon-like proboscis for sucking blood. They are guided with the help of the organs of touch and smell, they are able to sense a warm-blooded organism at a distance of up to 10 meters.
The most voracious individual is female, because she needs nutrients for the development of eggs. Having sucked in blood, the female grows a hundred times, becomes like a shiny large droplet. But be careful - an awkward movement, and the abdomen may burst, and its contents - splash into the eyes or a wound on the body. Males are not so bloodthirsty - after all, they do not need to take care of the offspring, they just need to eat and fertilize the female.
From an epidemiological point of view, the most dangerous will be female ticks. Sucked for several days, they, together with saliva, inject a large amount of viral particles into the human blood.
Horror stories about ticks have a real basis - you can get infected with such a terrible disease as encephalitis. How can a person get infected? It is enough to take a walk in nature, pick up a tick, the bloodthirsty creature will find a secluded place, plunge its head almost completely into the skin and drink and suck for ten to twelve days, if a person does not notice it earlier, or accidentally hooks it off, tearing off the bloody abdomen. But the deed has already been done - the tick bite launched the transmission mechanism.
True, not every close encounter with a tick can cause encephalitis; it is necessary for the animal to have this insidious active virus in its saliva. The number of bites from an encephalitis animal increases the risk of developing the disease, although sometimes one bite is sufficient. A timely vaccination, a sufficient level of antibodies is a guarantee that the disease does not develop. How ticks become infected, where did the virus come from, the mechanism of transmission is studied by the science of epidemiology.
The source of infection is murine rodents (shrews, voles, shrews) moles, hares and other small animals. Epidemiologists have counted more than 200 animals that are natural reservoirs of the encephalitis virus. Natural foci of tick-borne encephalitis are the taiga regions of the Far East, the forest zone of Russia from Kaliningrad to Sakhalin.
The disease is characterized by a spring-summer periodicity, with an increase in the activity of ticks, the number of infected increases. Ticks become infected by feeding on the blood of these animals, often change 3–4 hosts, and have a complex life cycle:
Tick life cycle diagram
Adults live 3-4 months, die by autumn, only immature females hibernate.
The prey of a tick can be not only a large animal, but also a person. Tick activity begins to show in early spring, therefore, already in April, a meeting with these creatures is possible. The peak of activity is in May (you need to be careful when going on May picnics) and lasts almost until the end of June. With the onset of dry and hot days, activity decreases.
The second August peak is typical for the European part of Russia. In the Urals, Siberia and Far East there is only one spring-summer peak. Tick-borne encephalitis has two sources of transmitting the virus to humans:
With saliva, substances that prevent blood clotting enter the wound, so animals can drink a lot of it. Anesthetic substances are also injected into the wound, the bite is painless, a person does not always notice the little monsters sucking on his skin. After the animals have drunk, they pull out their proboscis and fall to the ground.
By outward appearance a tick it is impossible to find out if it is infected. You can determine in the laboratory by making a sample.
The etiology (causes), ways of infection and transmission of tick-borne encephalitis are well understood. The causative agent of the infection multiplies in the cells of mammals, birds and arthropods. It does not live long in the external environment, it quickly collapses upon boiling, the action of disinfectants. Tick-borne encephalitis is characterized by natural foci - the disease occurs only where ixodid ticks live.
Infection with encephalitis occurs when eating raw milk and other dairy products obtained from sick animals. Ways of infection - transmissible (through the blood with a bite), alimentary. The gate of infection is the skin, the epithelium of the digestive tract. The virus moves through the blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, infecting cells and tissues in its path. Reaching the brain, it is localized in the cells.
The disease is more often acute, rarely chronic form lasting for life. Complications arising during the development of the disease can result in paralysis or death - in 70-80% of patients complications persist for life, in 20% the development of pathology ends in death.
Tick-borne encephalitis is characterized by deep damage to the white and gray matter of the brain, sensory and motor roots of the spinal, cranial and peripheral nerves. In patients, the meninges swell and become hyperemic, internal organs are affected - the kidneys, liver, lungs. There are irreversible processes of death of neurons, cerebral vessels.
The pathogenesis of encephalitis is diverse:
All people with tick-borne encephalitis should be screened for borreliosis at the same time, since ticks can be infected with both infections.
The incubation period is 7-14 days, sometimes up to 20 days. The disease develops acutely, patients complain:
Clouding of consciousness, stunnedness, coma may occur. If symptoms of the disease appear, it is necessary to urgently deliver the sick person to the infectious diseases department to clarify the diagnosis and conduct intensive drug treatment.
The source of infection with encephalitis is wild small animals in which the virus lives in blood cells. Animals infect ticks feeding on them. Adult ticks bite a person - the chain is closed. Compliance with safety rules, timely vaccination is a guarantee of human health.
Update: December 2018
Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral disease, the causative agent of which is transmitted to humans with ticks, is characterized by natural foci of infection and a certain seasonality associated with tick activity.
The causative agent of the pathology is an RNA virus from the genus Flaviviruses. The disease has many names: taiga encephalitis, spring-summer encephalitis, Russian Far Eastern encephalitis.
You can get sick with tick-borne encephalitis in some regions of Russia (the Urals, Siberia, the European part), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Japan, Korea, the Baltic countries, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Ukraine, France, Romania, Belarus and others.
The main source of infection in nature is ixodid ticks (see also). It is in their body that the virus multiplies and matures.
The virus that causes this disease has a tropism (craving, urge) for the nervous tissue. It multiplies in the cells of the gray matter and blood vessels of the head and spinal cord, spinal ganglia and cerebrospinal fluid. Then, after a couple of days, viruses massively enter the bloodstream and spread to all organs and tissues.
Currently, there are 5 main variants of the virus:
This division is associated with a mutation in the RNA of the pathogen. The clinical picture of these types is also different. It is believed that the Western and Greco-Turkish variants occur with a lighter course, less often lead to mortality. Eastern ones, on the other hand, are more likely to lead to paralysis and death.
The incubation period (the time from the moment of infection until the first symptoms appear) is approximately 10-14 days. This period can be lengthened in people who received it in childhood.
The first signs of the disease (what you should pay attention to): usually a week after relaxing in nature, a person suddenly develops a headache, nausea, vomiting that does not bring relief, severe weakness.
Then cerebral symptoms join: paralysis of the limbs, strabismus, pain along the nerve endings, convulsions, (see).
Tick-borne encephalitis has several clinical forms:
How to recognize the form of tick-borne encephalitis by symptoms:
|
Feverish (15-40% of all cases of the disease) |
Meningeal (30-70% of cases) | Meningoencephalitic (10-30%) | |
| Tick bite site |
|
||
| Start |
|
|
|
| Muscle damage |
|
None. | None. |
| Symptoms of damage to the central nervous system | None. |
|
|
| Duration | Fever usually lasts for a week. | Fever persists for up to two weeks. | |
| None. |
Soreness along the nerve trunks. Cerebellar disorders (unsteadiness of gait). Pathological reflexes. Signs of damage to the cranial nerves. Paralysis of the limbs. Strabismus development. |
||
| The patient's appearance | The face and upper half of the body are purple-red. The sclera are injected. | ||
| Outcome of the disease | This form of encephalitis has a favorable outcome, a fairly quick recovery. | The outcome is favorable, but residual symptoms may persist for several months. | The most severe form, the outcome is doubtful. In most cases, life-threatening complications (cerebral edema, epilepsy) occur. |
| Polio or typical | Polyradiculoneuritic | Two-wave, "milk" | |
| Tick bite site |
|
||
| Start |
Gradual (weakness appears, numbness in the limbs). Then the temperature rises, vomiting, headache, nausea join. |
The first wave resembles a feverish form. Then comes the interfebrile period (up to two weeks). The second wave is heavier and longer than the first. |
|
| Muscle damage | Intense muscle pain in the neck, occiput, upper and lower extremities, buttocks. Due to the resulting weakness of the neck muscles, there is a symptom of a "hanging head", "pterygoid scapula". |
The disease proceeds according to the meningoencephalitic or poliomyelitis type. This form occurs more often when drinking raw milk, therefore it is accompanied by diarrhea, flatulence, enlarged liver and spleen, and abdominal pain. |
|
| Duration | Fever persists for up to two weeks. | ||
| Symptoms of damage to the central nervous system | The cells of the spinal cord are mainly affected, therefore, the patient develops atony and muscle atrophy, loss of tendon reflexes. Damage to the diaphragm and intercostal muscles can lead to respiratory arrest. | None. | |
| The patient's appearance | Red face, sclera and mucous membranes injected | ||
| Symptoms of Peripheral Nerve Damage | Flaccid paresis and paralysis of the limbs. Symptom of torticollis. Lack of temperature, pain and other types of sensitivity in the limbs. |
Feeling of numbness, creeping, or hypersensitivity. Burning, pain along the nerve fibers. The appearance of symptoms of sciatica. |
|
| Outcome of the disease | It usually ends favorably. Flaccid paralysis may persist for up to six months. | ||
The disease usually ends with recovery. Patient death occurs in 5-10% of cases.
During the recovery period after an illness, the following can persist for a long time (3-4 months):
The diagnosis can be made on the basis of a confirmed tick bite. The disease is confirmed using special diagnostic methods:
| Research method | What does it reveal? |
| General blood analysis |
|
| General urine analysis | Moderate proteinuria (appearance of protein in the urine), cylindruria (casts in the urine). |
| Lumbar puncture |
|
| Electroencephalogram | It is prescribed to clarify the depth of the lesion of higher nervous activity, with the development of convulsive syndrome, Kozhevnikovskaya epilepsy. |
| CT or MRI of the brain | These methods are recommended for the development of complications (cerebral edema, cerebral hemorrhage). |
| ECHO-KG | It is prescribed to confirm infectious-toxic myocarditis, cardiac arrhythmias of central origin. |
| Virological method | Based on the isolation of viruses from blood, cerebrospinal fluid. The information content of the study is low, about 40%. |
| Express diagnostics (ELISA, RNGA, RSK, RTGA) | A fairly quick method, it allows you to make a preliminary diagnosis. It is based on the identification of specific antiviral antibodies. |
| PCR | The examination is based on the detection of viral RNA in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, dairy products, ticks themselves, and infected animals. |
If a tick has invaded human skin, it should be removed in a medical facility. It is not recommended to do this on your own, as you can damage his body and not remove it completely. In the case when there are no hospitals nearby, but you urgently need to remove the tick, you need to take the following steps:
All patients must be hospitalized in a hospital (infectious diseases or neurological department)! They are shown strict bed rest. Patients should be in intensive care units or under the constant supervision of medical personnel due to the unpredictability of the pathology. With the development of complications, patients are transferred to the intensive care unit.
During the recovery period, exercise therapy procedures, therapeutic massage, classes with a rehabilitation therapist are shown.
The virus can remain active for a long time in the external environment in the cold (at -60 C it can persist for tens of years), but it weak point are high temperatures... He dies after a couple of minutes when boiling. Therefore, it is very important to boil milk, not to consume untested dairy products.
If by virtue of your profession you must stay in the forest or are on vacation, to protect yourself from ticks, you should:
At the end, I would like to add that tick-borne encephalitis is a fairly serious disease. If during your stay in the forest (especially in an epidemiologically unfavorable area) you have been attacked by a tick, and then after a while you have a fever for no reason, you should immediately consult a doctor. The earlier treatment is started, the greater the likelihood of a favorable outcome and complete recovery.
