If bitten by a tick what to do. Memo to the bitten. What to do if you find a tick on yourself. Tick-borne human viral infections

Perhaps, someone from the "experienced", having read the title, will say: "Why be wise ?! He pulled it out, rubbed the bite with alcohol - and that's it. " She did it herself. True, I did not pull out the bloodsucker with my own hand - I asked a neighbor-nurse. But this does not change the essence. Ticks in those parts where we spent the summer then raged every year, but at the same time they were distinguished by "excellent health." I had not heard of any seriously injured from their bite, so I considered my frivolity to be fully justified. And then an acquaintance told real story his friends...

Once upon a time there was an ordinary family - still quite young people, our peers. They worked, and on weekends, like many, went to the dacha. And on one of these trips, a woman was bitten by a tick. Well, they pulled him out, processed the bite site, did not apply anywhere. And a few days later she felt unwell, then the temperature rose, she was getting worse. They called an ambulance ... But the doctor just threw up his hands: it was too late to do anything ... The ending of a usual trip to the country house turned out to be tragic ...

In general, everyone makes their own choice - to risk their lives or play it safe once again. Personally, this story at once discouraged me from frivolity, and therefore today I will talk about how you should still act in case of a tick bite, if you want to live long and, preferably, in good health.

Step 1: go to the nearest medical facility

Remember: you have only 72 hours to prevent possible problems... Subtract from them the day that is most likely to be lost in the laboratory test of the tick, and you will understand that this is not much at all. In principle, if there is an extra 5-6 thousand rubles for the purchase of immunoglobulin (1 ampoule per 10 kg of weight with average price 700-800 rubles per ampoule - in the prices of our region at the time of this writing), then you can take your time: buy a medicine, inject within the same 72 hours after the bite and count on a successful outcome. If not ...

Why I do not advise starting with the extraction of the tick? If you do not have the skill, it is not a fact that you will do it right. You can accidentally crush an insect - and in a dead state it is no longer suitable for research, and you will have to return to the option of buying an immunoglobulin. You can pull it out unsuccessfully, leaving your head in the wound, and the remains of such a dismembered bloodsucker will not be easy to extract even for a doctor. In the end, the tick often chooses very uncomfortable places for a bite, from where you cannot pull it out on your own. In short, if you are not a pro or do not have a good practice of getting rid of a tick on your own, it is better not to experiment.

Do not forget take your compulsory medical insurance policy with you(by the way, this is the kind of paper that is nice to have with you all the time - just in case). If there is tick bite insurance, of course, and this policy also needs to be captured, going for medical help.

Where to go? For the insured - to those medical institutions that are indicated in the annex to the contract (read more about this in the article). If you find a tick at an inopportune time, go to the ambulance station or to the emergency room of the nearest hospital (for example, I took my daughter to the ambulance, because for the first time we found a tick sucked in late in the evening, and the second - in the early morning ). In the afternoon - to the clinic at the place of residence. Although, in fact, upon presentation of a medical policy, you should be assisted in any medical institution. And by the way, skip the line.

Step 2: send the extracted tick to the laboratory

If you do not have insurance against a tick bite, research will be paid. Let me remind you: the average cost of analysis per virus ( in our region, as of the date of this writing) is 250-350 rubles, for 4 - about 800 rubles. Insurance costing 150-300 rubles allows you to get this service (within the limits stipulated by the contract) free of charge.

But even if you did not have time to insure, you should not save on research. Anyway, check for tick-borne encephalitis, for borreliosis (Lyme disease) - highly desirable. I think after all that has already been said, the "why?" and why?" does not arise ...

The result of the study can be obtained in your hands, as a rule, the next day (sometimes on the same day, if you brought the tick in the morning, and the laboratory's capabilities allow you to perform the analysis quickly). If the result is negative, you can breathe a sigh of relief. If positive, go to the next step.

Step 3: we carry out preventive vaccination

To this question there is 2 different approaches (happened to encounter in practice). Some medical workers (at least when it comes to children) consider it necessary to make a prophylactic injection of immunoglobulin, regardless of the results of laboratory tests, and the sooner the better.

Others believe that this is necessary only if the test of the tick gave a positive result (that is, the tick is a carrier of the tick-borne encephalitis virus, and could infect the victim with a bite). This position is also supported by insurance companies (in the contract of insurance against a tick bite, as a rule, it is written that an injection is given to the insured with a positive result of a laboratory test or if it is impossible to carry out such a test).

There is no disagreement only in the deadline: no later than 72 hours after the bite... But keep in mind: sometimes it is possible to establish a "starting point" very approximately - you do not know how much time passed from the moment of the actual bite before you found the sucking bloodsucker. Therefore, never pull to the last.

After a tick bite, it is recommended to observe the health of the victim for 2-3 weeks and consult a doctor as soon as possible in case of any ailments. Especially if laboratory tests have shown a positive result. It is about health, and possibly life, so do not be afraid to play it safe. In such cases, there is no unnecessary precaution.

Well, so that you never need all these tips, going on walks in nature, do not lose your vigilance - observe

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 reservoir of the tick-borne encephalitis virus in nature is its main carriers, ixodid ticks, whose habitat is located throughout the forest and forest-steppe temperate climatic zone The Eurasian continent.

About ticks

Taiga and European forest tick- giants in comparison with their "peaceful" brothers, his body is covered with a powerful shell and equipped with four pairs of legs. In females, the integument of the rear part is capable of strongly stretching, which allows them to absorb large quantities blood, hundreds of times more than a hungry tick weighs.

In the world around them, ticks are guided mainly by touch and smell; ticks do not have eyes. But the sense of smell of ticks is very acute: studies have shown that ticks are able to smell an animal or a person at a distance of about 10 meters.

Habitats of ticks. Ticks that transmit encephalitis are distributed almost throughout the southern part of the forest zone of Eurasia. Where are you most at risk of encountering ticks?

Ticks are hygrophilous, and therefore their abundance is greatest in well-moisturized places. Ticks prefer moderately shaded and moist deciduous and mixed forests with dense grass and undergrowth. There are many ticks along the bottom of ravines and forest ravines, as well as along forest edges, in thickets of willows along the banks of forest streams. In addition, they are abundant along forest edges and along forest paths overgrown with grass.

It is very important to know that ticks concentrate on forest paths and paths overgrown with grass on the sides. There are many times more of them here than in the surrounding forest. Studies have shown that ticks are attracted by the smell of animals and people who constantly use these paths when moving through the forest.

Certain features of the location and behavior of ticks have led to the widespread misconception in Siberia that ticks "jump" on humans from birches. Indeed, in birch forests, as a rule, there are a lot of ticks. A tick attached to clothes crawls upward, and it is often found already on the head and shoulders. This gives the false impression that the ticks fell from above.

It is necessary to remember the characteristic landscapes, where in late April - early July the number of ticks is highest, and where there is a high risk of infection with tick-borne encephalitis during this period: deciduous forests, littered with windbreaks of the fate of forests, ravines, river valleys, meadows.

Ticks lie in wait for their prey, sitting at the ends of blades of grass, blades, sticks and twigs sticking up.

When a potential victim approaches, the ticks assume an active waiting posture: they stretch their front legs and move them from side to side. On the forelegs are the organs that perceive odors (Haller's organ). Thus, the mite determines the direction to the source of the smell and is made to attack the host.

Ticks are not particularly mobile: in their life they are able to overcome on their own no more than ten meters. A tick waiting for its prey climbs a blade of grass or a bush to a height of no more than half a meter and patiently waits for someone to pass by. If an animal or a person follows in the immediate vicinity of the tick, then its reaction will be instant. Having spread its front legs, it frantically tries to grab its future owner. The paws are equipped with claws and suction cups, which allows the tick to securely catch on. No wonder there is a saying: "Grabbed like a tick."

With the help of hooks, which are located at the very end of the front legs, the tick clings to everything that touches it. Ixodid ticks (European forest tick and taiga tick) never attack and never fall (do not plan) on the victim from above from trees or tall bushes: ticks simply cling to their prey, which passes by and touches the blade of grass (stick) on which it sits mite.

Is it possible to prevent tick bites?

Before going out into nature, wear light clothes (ticks are better visible on it) with long sleeves and a hood, tuck your pants into socks. If you don't have a hood, wear a hat.

Use repellents.

Every 15 minutes, inspect your clothes, periodically conduct a thorough check, paying special attention to the neck, armpits, groin, ears - in these places the skin is especially delicate and thin and the mite is most often sucked there.

If a tick is found, you cannot crush it, since encephalitis can be contracted through micro cracks on the hands.

Tick ​​protection

All products sold, depending on the active ingredient, are divided into 3 groups.

Repellent - repels ticks.

Acaricidal - kill ticks.

Insecticidal-repellent - drugs of combined action, that is, killing and repelling ticks.

The first group includes products containing diethyltoluamide: Biban (Slovenia), DEFI-Taiga (Russia), Off! Extreme ”(Italy),“ Gall-RET ”(Russia),“ Gal-RET-kl ”(Russia),“ Deta-VOKKO ”(Russia),“ Refamid maximum ”(Russia). They are applied to clothing and open areas bodies in the form of circular stripes around the knees, ankles and chest. The tick avoids contact with the repellent and begins to crawl in the opposite direction. The protective properties of clothing are maintained for up to five days. Rain, wind, heat and sweat will shorten the duration of the protective agent. Do not forget to reapply the drug. The advantage of repelling agents is that they are also used to protect against gnat, applying not only to clothing, but also to the skin. Preparations that are more dangerous for ticks should not be applied to the skin.

For the protection of children, preparations with a reduced content of repellent have been developed - these are Ftalar and Efkalat creams, Pikhtal and Evital colognes, and Kamarant. For children from 3 years old, it is recommended to use the cream "Off-baby" and "Biban-gel".

The "killer" group included: "Pretix", "Refamid taiga", "Picnic-Antiklesh", "Gardeks aerosol extreme" (Italy), "Tornado-Anticlesch", "Fumitox-anticlesch", "Gardeks-anticlesch", " Permanon "(permethrin 0.55%). All preparations, with the exception of Pretix, are aerosols. They are used only for processing clothing. Things must be removed so that the product does not accidentally get on the skin. Then, after drying a little, you can put it back on.

"Pretix" is a pencil produced in Novosibirsk. They draw several girdles on their clothes before going into the forest. It is only necessary to monitor their safety, since the strips crumble rather quickly.

Acaricidal drugs with the poisonous substance alfamethrin have a nerve effect on ticks. This manifests itself after 5 minutes - paralysis of the limbs occurs in insects, and they fall off clothing.

It was noticed that, before acting destructively on ticks, drugs with the toxic substance alfamethrin increase the activity of ticks, and, although this period is small, the risk of being bitten at this time increases, drugs with the active substance permethrin kill ticks faster.

Preparations of the third group combine the properties of the above two - they contain 2 active substances diethyltoluamide and alphamethrin, due to this their effectiveness in correct application approaching 100 percent. These are Kra-rep aerosols (0.18% alphacypermethrin, 15% diethyltoluamide) (Kazan) and Moskitol-anticlesch (0.2% alphamethrin, 7% diethyltoluamide) (France).

To treat the territory from ticks, Tsifox is used.

Laboratory tests have proven that with the correct use of repellent drugs, up to 95 percent of adherent ticks are repelled. Since most of the ticks cling to the trousers, they need to be handled more carefully. Especially carefully you need to process clothes around the ankles, knees, hips, waist, as well as the cuffs of the sleeves and the collar. The method of application and consumption rates of all drugs must be indicated on the label.

V recent times more cases of counterfeiting chemicals protection, so try to buy them from reputable retailers. When buying, ask to show the hygiene certificate. Imported drugs must be accompanied by a label in Russian.

Tick-borne encephalitis vaccination

Clinically allowed for vaccination healthy people after being examined by a therapist. The therapist will also inform you about where to vaccinate.

You can only get vaccinated in institutions licensed for this type of activity. Administering a vaccine that has been improperly stored (without observing the cold chain) is useless and sometimes dangerous.

The following vaccines are used to prevent tick-borne encephalitis:

• Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine cultural purified concentrated inactivated dry
• EnceVir
• FSME-Immun Inject
• Entsepur Adult and Entsepur Child

What is the difference between vaccines?

Western European tick-borne encephalitis virus strains, from which imported vaccines are prepared, and Eastern European strains used in domestic production, are similar in antigenic structure. The similarity in the structure of key antigens is 85%. In this regard, immunization with a vaccine prepared from a single viral strain creates a stable immunity against infection with any tick-borne encephalitis virus. The effectiveness of foreign vaccines in Russia has been confirmed, including by studies using Russian diagnostic test systems.

Vaccination can actually protect about 95% of those vaccinated. However, it should be remembered that vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis does not exclude all other measures for the prevention of tick bites (repellents, proper equipment), since they carry not only tick-borne encephalitis, but also other infections (Lyme disease, Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever, tularemia, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, rickettsioses, from which vaccination cannot be protected).

What if the tick suction still occurs?

An initial consultation can always be obtained by calling 03.

To remove the tick, you will most likely be sent to the district SES or the district trauma center.

If you do not have the opportunity to seek help from honey. institution, then the tick will have to be removed on your own.

When removing the tick by yourself, a strong thread is tied as close to the tick proboscis as possible, the tick is removed by pulling it up. Sudden movements are unacceptable. If, when removing a 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 its body with your hands, 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 head of the tick is torn off, the process of infection can continue, since there is a significant concentration of the TBE virus in the salivary glands and ducts.

There are no grounds for some far-fetched 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 this can be done in an infectious diseases hospital or a special laboratory. 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. Even individual tick fragments are suitable for PCR diagnostics. However, the latter method is not widely used even in large cities.

If your area is unfavorable for tick-borne encephalitis, contact the tick-borne encephalitis seroprevention point without waiting for the results of the tick analysis. Emergency prophylaxis is carried out in the first 3 days (preferably in 1 day) with immunoglobulin or iodantipyrine. For the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis in children under 14 years of age, immunoglobulin and Anaferon for children are used. In the southern regions of the Russian Federation, a tick can infect the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

09/10/2012 09:50:49, Elena841 04/15/2012 09:07:45 AM, vichik

My son went to May with the class on a hike, so we classroom teacher ordered everyone to give the children a pack of baby anaferon with them. Just in case - if a tick clings. The Ministry of Health published a recommendation, it turns out, for the emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis, immediately after the bite, drink anaferon to the child 3 times a day, and so on for 21 days, while the KE has an incubation period. I even saw an official article on the medical portal http://medportal.ru/mednovosti/corp/2-010/04/20/omsk/ I don’t know how anyone has it, but at our school the director is an energetic lady, she told everyone everything at once and told , all classes who were going on hikes, all went for anaferon) The lecture was also read on how to remove a tick correctly, with tweezers, a thread ... It seems that we are not endemic for encephalitis, although who knows ... nature will not stick around soon = /

05/27/2010 3:02:24 PM, I. Voloshin

Thank you very informative ..!

Thank you for the timely and competent information.

The article is good. After reading this information, I called at 03 to find out what to do with the tick brought in transit from the dacha, they sent it to the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection, in Moscow, in Grafsky Lane, ticks for encephalitis are examined for a fee and Lyme disease costs 650 rubles.

Very literate and useful article... I just want to add why it is unacceptable to remove a tick with oil. The fact is that if this tick is a carrier of Lyme disease, then infection occurs when the contents of the tick's intestines enter the blood (this is where borreliosis lives). The mite suffocates from the oil and may just vomit.

When pulling the tick by the thread, it is necessary to spread the threads to the sides in the plane of the tick (to the sides, where the legs are) and gently swing from side to side, pulling very slightly outward. After a minute or two, the tick will unhook. With this method of removal, infection with borreliosis will not occur. Against CE, of course, this method does not work ...

Of course, there are no people who would not like to spend their free time in the bosom of nature: Fresh air, nature - all this allows you to relax and usefully spend time for your health, however, there, as always, various risks await us, among which the most dangerous and insidious is a tick bite. In this article, we decided to tell you what to do if you are bitten by a tick, as well as what precautions should be taken to prevent this from happening to you.

The habitat of the tick is grass and undersized shrubs, and it would be logical to assume that mostly ticks prefer to "settle" to a person in the area of ​​the legs, however, in fact, initially firmly anchored with their microscopic claws on our clothes, ticks climb as high as possible ... The most favorite places for mites on our body are the axillary region, back, head, and also the neck. It is almost impossible to feel the bite, because the saliva of this insect contains a strong analgesic substance.

How to protect yourself as much as possible from a tick bite

Before you go to the forested area, you should perform several simple rules in order to protect yourself as much as possible from a tick bite:

it is preferable to choose clothes in light colors, this will help you to detect the tick in advance;

shoes should be chosen closed type, while the legs are recommended to be tucked into the shoes;

one more required condition- this is a headdress;

The consequences of a tick bite

Despite the fact that the tick bite was short-lived, it is impossible to exclude the possibility of contracting any infection carried by the tick. In fact, ticks are carriers of very many infections, however, cases of infection with only two diseases have been identified in our country, which will be discussed in detail below.

Tick-borne encephalitis is the most common disease that can be contracted by a tick bite. Its insidiousness lies in the fact that it is not possible to detect this infection in the first days after the bite; the first signs of infection appear around the tenth day:

chills, increased body temperature;

numbness in the face and neck;

general muscle weakness;

Strong headache;

vomiting and nausea;

staining the face, neck, mucous membranes of the eyes and mouth in red.

The virus initially infects the central nervous system and the spinal cord. It is worth noting that in about one third of cases, neurological problems cannot be completely cured, which sometimes leads to disability. In order to diagnose this disease, it is necessary to make a laboratory analysis of the victim's blood.

However, despite the fact that you still could not avoid the bite, the risk of contracting tick-borne encephalitis can be minimized if you vaccinate against this disease in advance. The following types of vaccines are used in medicine to prevent this infection:

• Entsepur Adult and Entsepur Children's;

  FSME-Immue Inject;

  Vaccine of tick-borne encephalitis cultural purified concentrated dry.

2. Lyme disease or borreliosis - one more is enough dangerous disease, which is transmitted from tick to person. This infection affects the cells of the central nervous system, skin, heart, as well as the musculoskeletal system. This disease can be successfully treated, which is especially effective in its initial stages, however, untimely treatment can lead to chronic forms of the disease.

The first signs of Lyme disease are as follows:

redness of the bitten skin area;

a fairly rapid increase in the size of redness;

the transition of redness from a rounded spot to a ring with a cyanotic center.

If you find similar symptoms, you should immediately visit an infectious disease doctor, and in his absence, a therapist. It is worth noting that the insidiousness of this ailment lies in the fact that it is possible to detect this infection in a person's blood only three weeks after the bite itself.

What to do if the mite is still absorbed

So what to do if you get bitten by a tick? Initially, you need to consult a specialist by calling 03; there you will be told in detail what actions you need to take in order to remove the tick correctly. However, if the opportunity to seek help from medical professional you are absent, you will have to remove the tick yourself. Below are some of the most common ways to remove a tick.

Method one.

It is necessary to take a segment regular thread, which should be tied in a knot, getting as close as possible to the tick proboscis. Further, with smooth movements, you should pull the thread towards you, as if twisting the tick out of the skin. If, when removing the tick, its head came off, then this place should be wiped with an alcohol-containing agent, and then try to get the head with a sterile needle, previously heated over a fire.

Method two.

In order to drive out the tick, it is necessary to pour a little vegetable oil or any other fatty substance on the bite site. The essence this method consists in the following: an insect suffering from a lack of oxygen gets out on its own. However, you should be careful with the dosage of the agent, because from an excessively abundant amount of fatty liquid, the tick can simply suffocate, never having time to get out.

It is worth remembering that diseases that are transmitted from tick to person are diagnosed in 2-3 weeks, therefore, in order to be sure that the tick that has bitten you is not contagious, after removing it, it must be placed in a container with wet paper, after which tick must be shown to a specialist within two days.

After you independently removed the tick, the place around the bite must be treated with any antiseptic - iodine or alcohol, and the resulting wound itself must be treated with green stuff. Also, be sure to wash your hands and tools thoroughly.

What not to do with a tick bite

in no case should you crush the tick with your fingers - this increases the penetration of infection into the wound;

do not use kerosene or candle wax to push the tick out. These drugs clog the wound and block the flow of air, which ultimately leads to its death at the very bite.

Spring and summer is the perfect time to enjoy your time in nature, and for ticks - the best time to attack a person. You can meet these arthropods in the park, in the forest and even on summer cottage... In addition to the unpleasant sight that a tick stuck to the body, such a meeting can lead to infection with serious infectious diseases, including tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease and others.

In nature, there are more than 40,000 species of ticks. Among them, the most dangerous to humans are blood-sucking ticks. They resemble small brown bugs with four pairs of legs and a proboscis (the size of a hungry individual is about 5 mm, a full tick usually increases significantly). During a bite, pathogens of infectious diseases enter the human body along with the tick's saliva.

However, not all ticks carry infections. Many of them are sterile, that is, they do not contain viruses and bacteria that are dangerous to humans (the number of infectious and non-infectious mites varies depending on the region). But since it is impossible to determine by the appearance of a tick whether it is infected or not, it is necessary to remain vigilant at all times.

People are bitten by both females and males of arthropods. This usually occurs after the end of a long autumn-winter hibernation - the ticks wake up and need blood. Both an animal and a person can be a food source for them.

The hunt for potential food takes place as follows: the tick, with the help of hooks on its legs, climbs onto blades of grass or sticks sticking up and waits for a victim, if one appears, the arthropod grabs it with its front legs and begins to look for a place suitable for a bite. Those people who think that a tick can fall on its head from a tree are mistaken, these animals cover no more than 10 m distances in their entire life and do not definitely climb trees. On the neck and on the head, they can be found only because they, once on the human body, always move up in search of an open and "juicy" area of ​​skin.

Where do ticks live?

The favorite habitats of ixodid ticks in nature are wet and shaded areas:

• ravines;
• bottom of meadows;
• forest edges;
• willow thickets along the banks of forest reservoirs;
• sides of forest trails.

As a rule, people do not feel the very moment of the bite, but detect the tick when it has already firmly adhered to the body. This is explained simply: during the puncture of the victim's skin, the arthropod, together with saliva, releases active substances into the wound that have some analgesic effect.

People who are prone to allergies may develop severe allergic reaction with itching and redness of the skin. In rare cases, a tick bite can lead to and. The symptoms of these conditions are as follows: swelling of the face, shortness of breath, a sharp deterioration in well-being, loss of consciousness, etc. In addition, as a result of a tick bite, a person may have a rise in body temperature, aches in muscles and joints, chills, and severe drowsiness.

In general, the severity of the body's reaction to an arthropod bite depends on the state of health. Allergy sufferers, young children, old people can have a very violent reaction. In healthy adults, contact with a tick may not affect their well-being in any way, and they will learn about the fact of a bite only when they see an incomprehensible formation on their body.

What should I do if bitten by a tick?

Since the likelihood of contracting dangerous infections significantly increases with prolonged contact of the human body with a tick, the main thing that needs to be done is to remove the arthropod. But the removal procedure should be carried out correctly so as not to crush or damage the tick, since this can further contribute to infection. In addition, a tick can and even need to be examined in a laboratory for the fact of infectiousness, and for this it must remain intact.

Therefore, if there are no skills to remove ticks, but there is an opportunity, it is better to contact the nearest medical institution, where the arthropod will be removed in a qualified manner and recommendations for further actions will be given. In addition, you can ask all your questions about the tactics of behavior in the presence of a tick on the body by calling 103 (by calling an ambulance).

It is best to remove a tick with a special device that is sold in pharmacies. It can be a "lasso pen", UNIKLIN TIK TWISTER, etc. If there is no pharmacy nearby, you can use ordinary cosmetic tweezers or sewing thread.

The person who will remove the tick must definitely take care of his safety - wear rubber gloves or wrap a bandage around his fingers. It is also advisable to prepare in advance Plastic container with a lid or a plastic bag for the tick (so that it can be safely delivered to the laboratory).

The removal procedure itself must be carried out as follows:

• Grab the arthropod with tweezers or a special device as close as possible to the proboscis (it is this part of the animal's body that is in the skin). If a thread is used, a loop should be made from it, which must be carefully tightened over the head of the tick embedded in the skin.
• Pull up gently. At the same time, great efforts should not be made, from them the tick can simply burst, and all its contents will fall on the skin and into the wound. In addition, the proboscis of an arthropod with a sharp jerk remains in the wound, because of this, inflammation and even suppuration may occur.
• After removing the tick, wash the skin with soapy water and treat with any product containing alcohol. There is no need to apply a bandage. If the head of the arthropod remains in the skin, you should try to remove it from the body with a sterile needle like a splinter.

Important: sunflower oil, greasy ointments, airtight dressings and others folk remedies the fight against ticks are not effective; their use only takes up valuable time.

After removing the tick, it is advisable to do the following:

• Mark the date on the calendar when everything happened.
• Call your therapist or family doctor, explain the situation and inquire about the need and timing of blood tests and any preventive measures(in some cases, to prevent the development of tick-borne encephalitis, immunoglobulins are administered to the victim of tick bites, antiviral drugs are prescribed, etc.).
• Take the tick to the laboratory. Information about laboratories can be found on the Rospotrebnadzor website for your region.

It is imperative to visit a doctor in the following cases:

• If there are signs of inflammation in the area of ​​the bite (swelling, redness, etc.).
• If, in the interval from 3 to 30 days after the bite, red spots appear on the skin.
• If the body temperature rises, muscle pain, unmotivated weakness and other unpleasant symptoms appear (these signs are especially important to monitor during the first 2 months after the bite).

The consequences of a tick bite

Ixodid ticks are carriers of the following infectious diseases:

• Tick-borne, in which a patient, due to damage to the gray matter of the brain, has various neurological disorders, mental disorders, and even death is possible.
• Tick-borne borreliosis() Is a polymorphic disease in which the skin, lymphatic system, joints, heart and other internal organs are affected. Borrelia, the causative agents of borreliosis, are most often found in the study of ixodid ticks.
• Monocytic ehrlichiosis, which is characterized by neurological disorders, general intoxication syndrome, inflammation of the respiratory tract and other pathological manifestations.
• Granulocytic anaplasmosis... This disease resembles or an intestinal infection and is fairly easy. People with weakened immunity may develop complications from the nervous system and kidneys.

To avoid falling prey to ticks, when visiting potentially dangerous places(park, forest, etc.), you must adhere to a number of rules:

• Wear the right clothes... It should be light so that the ticks are noticeable, and maximum covering and protecting the body from getting arthropods by the collar, under the trouser leg, under the sleeve. Since the ticks attack from below, the pants should be tucked into socks and boots.
• Always use repellents... Today manufacturers offer a large number of protective equipment from ticks, among them you can pick up safe ones even for small children. There are also special suits impregnated with acaricidal substances. On contact with acaricides, the mites die and fall off the clothes.
• Move along the widest paths, minimizing contact of the feet with grass and shrubs.
• Inspect clothing periodically.
• After returning home, sightseeing both clothing and body, paying special attention to the following places: ears, hairline, interdigital folds, popliteal areas, groin, perineum, navel.

Summer is a time of carefree rest, vacations and walks in parks and forests. However, any walk can be fraught with danger. These are ticks that can ruin a pleasant pastime.

If you find a tick on yourself, do not panic: there are ways that allow you to get rid of the "unwanted guest" in a couple of minutes.

What to do if you find a tick on yourself?

Ticks rarely stick right away: for about half an hour they look for a place for a bite, in which the capillaries would be located closest to the surface of the skin.

This can be done using:

• tweezers;
• syringe;
• threads.

If you don't have either one or the other with you, you can try to remove the bloodsucker with your fingers wrapped in clean gauze.

Algorithm for removing ticks with tweezers

Proceed with the following guidelines:

• Use tweezers to gently grasp the tick body, being careful not to squeeze it. It is important to try to make sure that the body of the tick is not damaged. Otherwise, the risk of contracting infectious tick-borne diseases increases.
• Grasping the tick as close as possible to the front end, that is, to the mouth apparatus, rotate its body around its axis, clockwise. Keep the tick perpendicular to the skin.
• Pull the tick up slowly, making sure that its proboscis or head does not remain in the skin at the site of the bite.

Hand extraction

Rules for removing a tick by hand:

Removing with your hands is not very convenient: you will not see how you are holding the tick, and you risk leaving parts of its mouth apparatus in the wound. Therefore, before going into nature, it is advisable to get a small tweezers or even a medical clip, which you can buy at any pharmacy.

Removing with a thread

Removing the tick is best done with silk thread. However, having any other thread can also save the day. The main requirement is strength in the process.

Proceed as follows:

• tie a thread in a knot;
• throw the knot over the tick in such a way as to grab its proboscis;
• slowly, without making sudden jerks, start swinging the thread, pulling the tick up.

This method will not work if the mite has recently adhered to the skin and is too small. Most likely, a small tick simply cannot be tied with a thread. However, if you have a magnifying glass with you, you can try this method.

Can mites be removed with oil?

However, if you have no other way to get rid of the tick, you can use the following algorithm:

• Pour sunflower oil or any other vegetable oil on a tick that has stuck to the skin so that its head is completely under a layer of liquid.
• To prevent the oil from spreading over the skin, you can attach a regular ring to the bite.
• The oil will block the oxygen supply. When the tick becomes unable to breathe, it itself will begin to pull the proboscis out of the skin.
• At this point, you can speed up the process of leaving the tick with your hands, rotating it clockwise, although this will be quite problematic due to the oil.

Why do many doctors strongly advise against using such a simple method in practice? Everything is very simple: having lost the ability to breathe, the tick may not pull out its proboscis, but die, injecting already sucked blood into the capillaries, together with pathogens of dangerous infections, before dying.

Removal with a syringe

Many people call this method the most effective and safest. You need a plastic disposable syringe, a knife and a disinfectant, which can be strong alcohol or cologne.

Before “modifying” the syringe, you can heat the knife to obtain a smoother cut surface.

After removing the tick, lubricate the wound with any antiseptic you have.

What to do with the tick after removal?

If the tick you removed is dead, you can:

1. burn it;
2. boil it with boiling water.

If, as a result of your manipulations, the tick remained alive, it is desirable:

At the same time, the risk of contracting a tick-borne infection remains, although it is minimized: most of the pathogens are in the body of the tick.

If the head remains under the skin:

1. you can remove it yourself using a carefully disinfected needle;
2. smear the bite site with iodine, after a while the head itself will come to the surface;
3. you should consult a specialist.

Why is a tick bite dangerous?

Ticks are dangerous because they are carriers of dangerous infections that threaten human life.

If a tick has infected a person with a virus, the following symptoms will appear some time after the bite:

• fever;
• chills;
• redness of the skin;
• general malaise: weakness, increased fatigue, drowsiness;
• the site of the bite is slightly swollen, in some cases pus may be released from it.

If you find these symptoms, in no case should you self-medicate!

Tick-borne infections are very dangerous, in particular, with encephalitis, the following can occur:

1. inflammation of the brain develops, accompanied by psychopathological disorders;
2. death may occur: the sooner you seek help, the better the results of treatment will be!

Precautionary measures

Of course, it is much easier not to remove the stuck tick, but to avoid its "attack".

To do this, observe the following precautions:

• When going for a walk in the forest, wear the most closed clothing. Try to tuck your pants or trousers into your shoes: ticks sit on the grass and it is important to protect your feet.
• Periodically inspect yourself and the people with whom you went on a walk or hike. These inspections should be carried out at least once an hour.
• Examine on the body and under the hair.
• Pay careful attention to places where there are large blood vessels: neck, armpits, knees and inner elbow folds, inguinal folds.

Do not forget that ticks are carriers of encephalitis, so if after walking in the forest your temperature rises sharply and you feel unwell, call an ambulance immediately!