Under the threat of men and animals
It would seem that the snow has only recently left the streets of Pskov, and the sun is just beginning to bake, because the ticks have already woken up from their winter hibernation. Like the Phoenix bird, ticks are reborn every spring and weigh like a concrete block on the health of the inhabitants of Pskov.
In less than 2 weeks of April, the health committee of the Pskov region has already recorded more than 22 tick bites. And these are only official statistics – this includes people who sought help to remove ticks in the hospital and who did not use traditional methods.
Not only people, but also animals have to endure these first spring insects. Pskovians began to find ticks entangled in the wool of pets in late March.
Residents of Pskov remove ticks from animals after walking / Photo: Marina Gerasimova
So, on March 30, one of the subscribers of the community “Tin in Pskov” on the social network “VKontakte” posted a photo of the “firstborn”. “I removed the tick from the dog. Congratulations on the season opener! Draw conclusions, take action…” – added Pskovych.
In response, other pet owners reported seeing the first ticks a week earlier. A Pskovian woman removed it from her dog after a walk, and another noticed the insect after her cat explored the territory of the dacha.
Photo of a subscriber of the group “Tin in Pskov” / VKontakte
“Just yesterday I removed three ticks from a dog, and after a walk on Sunday – 8”, a reader shared with The Eastern Herald in Pskov new data on the presence of ticks in the Korytovsky forest.
But, I must say that April is a traditional month for bloodsuckers to wake up, and there is nothing surprising in their appearance now. Was it before…
Get up with the first rays
The first cases of bites (more precisely, seeking medical help after bites) are often recorded in the first week of April – this was the case in 2010, 2018, 2021.
Sometimes hungry after winter, the insects began to pounce on the Pskovians a little earlier, in March. So, last year the “season” opened on March 31, and in 2019 – 25. The “early birds” were the tick generation of 2015 – then they showed themselves in the first decade of March.
Thousands of residents of Pskov are bitten by ticks every summer / Photo: The Eastern Herald in Pskov archive
Unexpectedly, the early attack of the biting landing came in 2020. Then the insects became more active on February 19. Although, it is clear – the climatic winter did not come that year, forecasters remind. It was too hot.
“Tick records” in the history of Pskov
They set pincers and their numerical records. One thing is certain: they were always biting people, in all weathers. The maximum number of visits of bitten people to hospitals in the Pskov region was recorded in 2012 – then 9,147 people needed medical attention. The minimum was reached last year – hospitals in the region recorded 2453 bites.
The graph is based on Rospotrebnadzor data for the Pskov region
The ex-chief sanitary doctor of the Pskov region, Alexander Nesteruk, also called the unfavorable situation in 2009-2012 on the airwaves of PLN.FM radio a year ago.
“I wouldn’t say the number of converts is increasing. Today we received analytical data from the federal service – there is a downward trend in our region, and quite a significant one, of 20%,” he added.
Of course, this decline in indicators depends on many factors – and people have become more informed, and therefore more attentive, and the field of anti-mite treatment in the region has increased.
In the history of Pskov there were fruitless years with the invasion of ticks / Photo: pixabay.com
For comparison, according to the Rospotrebnadzor regional department, in 2013 the area of ​​​​acaricidal treatments was 263.04 hectares for the entire Pskov region. Already in 2014, it grew by 23% and amounted to 323.27 hectares. And so, by 2022, the number has increased to 600 hectares, 190 of which are the territories of summer health camps, sanatoriums and boarding houses.
The decision to expand the treatment area is not only timely, but also the only good one in this situation.
<h2 class=”article__reference-title”>REFERENCE</h2>
According to the Rospotrebnadzor regional department, since 2010 all 26 municipalities of the Pskov region have been included in the list of endemics for tick-borne encephalitis.
You can get infected with encephalitis after a tick bite in literally every district of the Pskov region. And not just encephalitis…
terrible diseases
The list of diseases transmitted to people by ticks can be read like a horror story at night by the fireside. But it is also impossible not to remember it, because warned means to guard.
Let’s not go far – take the latest research data on ticks. In 2022, in the laboratories of the Pskov region (according to data from the Rospotrebnadzor regional department), 1161 ticks were examined during the season. Among them, the largest percentage was infected with borreliosis (27.7%). In second place is monocytic ehrlichiosis (2.4%), in third place granulocytic anaplasmosis (0.23%). Tick-borne encephalitis was infected with the smallest proportion of material – 0.17%.
Why are these diseases so dangerous? Borreliosis can lead to liver damage, heart damage and memory impairment. Ehrlichiosis in severe cases, ehrlichiosis can lead to the development of kidney, heart and respiratory failure, neurological disorders. In the worst case, the disease can lead to death. In people infected with anaplasmosis, the most common symptoms are toxic shock, sepsis, acute respiratory failure, pneumonia, myocarditis, rhabdomyolysis and neurological disorders.
<h2 class=”article__reference-title”>REFERENCE</h2>
According to the Rospotrebnadzor department for the Pskov region, tick-borne diseases were detected in the following quantities:
In 2010, 6 cases of infection with tick-borne encephalitis were recorded, and 45 with borrelease. Three children were among the sick.
In 2011, there were 12 cases of encephalitis (tick-borne encephalitis was diagnosed in six adults and two children), as well as 47 cases of borreliosis.
In 2012, a record number was recorded – 32 cases of encephalitis and 121 cases of borreliosis.
In 2016, one case of tick-borne disease with encephalitis and 6 cases of borreliosis were recorded.
In 2022, 2 cases of encephalitis and 3 cases of borreliosis were recorded.
And although it seems that the indicators are not at all high enough to be afraid of infection, it should be remembered that the outcome of infection may not always be favorable (and sometimes even fatal). So, according to the Rospotrebnadzor regional department, deaths from tick-borne encephalitis in the Pskov region were recorded in 2012, 2014 and 2015.
Diagram of the spread of diseases in the Pskov region / Illustration from the Rospotrebnadzor department for the Pskov region
A sting is better than a bite
As they say, hope for miticide treatment, but don’t fool yourself. “Pills for everything” have not yet been invented in our country, but vaccination will help protect at least from deadly (as we have already found out) tick-borne encephalitis.
Miticide treatments help fight ticks / Photo: pixabay.com
Despite the general skepticism of Pskov residents about vaccinations, more than 2,000 people are vaccinated in the region each year, and doctors fulfill the plan at 99% – such a stable level has been maintained since 2018.
No amateur show
You can’t sow straw everywhere, that’s a fact. So, Rospotrebnadzor experts note: “having smelled” the owner, the tick can crawl along the branches and even be blown by the wind to reach the desired blood. Ticks have not yet learned to jump. At least for that, let’s say thanks to mother-evolution.
Ticks attack humans and animals / Photo: pixabay.com
If the tick has found a way to stick to you, remember: you need to remove it carefully. Under no circumstances should you cut your head off. The safest way in this situation is to go to the nearest medical center, where specialists will properly extract and neutralize the insect.
Ticks can be carried by the wind / Photo: pixabay.com
Better yet, take all possible precautions when going out into the wild.
<h2 class=”article__reference-title”>REMINDER</h2>
Memo Rospotrebnadzor. How to avoid an unpleasant encounter in the forest:
- Clothing should be light – dark ticks will be more visible on them, so you can remove them before they stick to you.
- Be sure to wear a scarf or balaclava.
- The upper part of the clothes should be long-sleeved and preferably with cuffs – this prevents the tick from crawling under the clothes through the sleeve.
- Pants should be tucked into socks and then pulled over boots.
- Self-examination and mutual examination are mandatory.
- Do not lie down or sit on the grass.
- Use special means that repel and destroy not only mosquitoes, but also ticks. But remember that these products can be applied only on clothes, but not on open areas of the body.
Be careful and healthy! Let summer distances from Pskov give you only pleasant memories!
Get the latest news today on The Eastern Herald.
