How to protect children from ticks and what to do if we have not managed to avoid the bite?

Can we catch a tick in the big city?

In the parks and recreation areas in the cities, a special treatment of the lawns is carried out every year and this, of course, significantly reduces the risk of being bitten by a tick . But in any case, epidemiologists advise to take seriously timely prevention and strict protection measures.

What diseases do ticks transmit?

Tick- borne encephalitis is a dangerous viral infection . Its incubation period lasts from seven to 14 days (maximum 30 days), followed by fever , severe headache , vomiting , muscle aches . The disease affects the nervous system, causing meningitis , encephalitis , myelitis , mild paresis and paralysis . Mortality depends on the type of virus and ranges from 1 to 25%.

There is no vaccine against Lyme disease, but there is one for encephalitis

Tick- borne meningoradiculoneuritis or, as it is better known, Lyme disease is also a severe infectious disease : it affects the skin, nervous system , heart, musculoskeletal system. The incubation period lasts from two to 32 days, after which 60-80% of patients at the site of a tick bite appear red spot , around which a bright ring (migrating erythema) forms. The ring increases (it can grow up to 60 centimeters in diameter) and its central part fades. In parallel, short-term fever, headache or weakness may occur. If the disease is not treated, neurological (meningitis, encephalitis, nerve paresis), heart and joint damage are added to the already described symptoms. Fatalities are rare, but there is a risk of being bitten by the bite .

Are there vaccines for these diseases?

There is no vaccine against Lyme disease , but there is one for encephalitis . If you are planning to travel to endemic areas, it is advisable to first inquire about suitable vaccines for the child , which are also given on a schedule .

How to protect yourself and your child from tick bites?

There are a few simple rules to follow that can minimize the risk of a bite :

Mandatory requirements for clothes : long sleeves , long pants , not shorts, put your legs in socks, and put a hat or hood on your head . Wear light clothes - this makes it easier to spot the tick.

Treat clothing with repellents containing DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) or permethrin.

If you walk in a park or forest, avoid tall grass and bushes and prefer paths.

While in the woods , check your clothes often. As the larvae of ticks are very small and you may not notice them, after a walk wash your clothes in hot water (minimum 60 degrees).

Examine the child carefully at home: the most common site of bites in children is the hairy part of the head and behind the ears.

What should you do immediately if you find a tick?

Tick saliva contains anesthetics , as well as vasodilators and anticoagulants . That is, it is quite real that the child simply does not notice the bite - it will not hurt and bleed . It can take a long time for parents to notice the tick. As soon as you see it, remove it: the longer the tick stays in the body, the greater the chance of infection . There are special tools for removing ticks that are sold in pharmacies , but you can also do a simple thread or tweezers.

Tick saliva contains anesthetics, as well as vasodilators and anticoagulants.

There are many educational videos on the Internet. Here are the basic rules:

  • Catch the tick near the proboscis , remove it with rotating movements;
  • Do not press on the abdomen: if you smear it, the contents of his body will fall into the wound and the risk of infection will increase;
  • Do not use oil , greasy creams that clog the airways of the tick - this will provoke the release of pathogens into the bite hole.

Which specialist should you take the child to?

It is important to visit a pediatrician within 72 hours of the bite : during this period, prophylaxis against Lyme disease can be done with the help of an antibiotic . Even if you can't get to the doctor within three days, it makes sense to examine the child just in case. After two or three weeks you should go for tests for IgG antibodies , IgM against Borrelia Burgdorferi. If such antibodies are not detected, the doctor will order a repeat test after three to four weeks. If antibodies are found, you will need to start a course of antibiotics .

With regard to encephalitis, if the child has been vaccinated, tests for class G antibodies should be performed. If the level is higher than 1: 200, then everything is fine and no additional measures are needed. If the IgG level is low or the child has not been vaccinated at all, frequent monitoring by a pediatrician will be required.

Is an emergency immunoglobulin injection mandatory after a tick bite?

In public hospitals, such prophylaxis is done within 96 hours after the detection of the tick. There are a number of studies proving that the effectiveness of such prophylaxis in children is only 20%, subject to the following conditions: injection of immunoglobulin in the first one or two days after the bite in high titer. This re-injection increases the risk of developing the disease .

In Europe, immunoglobulin is not used at all - neither for prevention nor for treatment (therapy in case of illness is only symptomatic). The position of the World Health Organization is that such therapy is low-effective and is not used for tick bites . Vaccination and daily safety measures play a key role.

Should we wear a tick for testing?

The tick must be taken for examination in a laboratory to determine the causative agent in it: doctors are interested, first of all, in encephalitis. The study of Lyme disease ticks is controversial and does not give a reliable result. For example, in Europe, 20-25% of ticks are carriers of Lyme disease , but the infection develops in only 1-5% of those bitten, while there are cases of infection with the disease with a negative test result .