Tick-borne encephalitis: symptoms, prevention, signs, treatment
Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral infectious disease characterized by spring-summer seasonality.
Infection presents a danger to humans, as it affects the structures of the brain and peripheral nerves, proceeds with fever and intoxication.
This is fraught with persistent complications from the nervous system( paralysis, paresis), psychiatric abnormalities, and with a rapidly progressive form of the disease, a fatal outcome is possible.
A person can become infected with tick-borne encephalitis in several ways:
The tick climbs on the plant, and then attaches itself to clothing in the area of the lower extremities, penetrates under it and sucks, biting the skin and screwing it into the skin like a screw. If the arthropod is infected with encephalitis, then the pathogen will enter the human blood.
The mite detected on the body should be removed immediately and made correctly. It is very important to remove the animal in the first hours, because the earlier the tick is removed, the greater the chances of avoiding a serious illness.
Extract the sucking parasite by tweezers or hands, but very carefully so as not to damage it. You can avoid this if you grab it closer to the surface of the skin. If during the manipulation to remove the head of the tick remained in the human body, then it can be withdrawn by a red-hot needle( pin).
The place of suction should be disinfected with iodine tincture, hands should be washed thoroughly. After the completion of all procedures, the tick must be taken to the laboratory, where a study will be conducted for its infection with the virus. If this is not possible, then it is necessary to immediately apply to a medical and preventive institution.
During 7-14 days after infection, the disease does not manifest itself in any way - it is an incubation period. The first symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis are acute and often before lunch with a sudden malaise, chills.
Also begin to worry aching pain in the muscles of the lower and upper limbs, neck and back. In these muscle groups, paresis and paralysis often occur. The painful syndrome affects the joints, the lumbar spine.
The manifestations of tick-borne encephalitis may differ, which is determined by the form of the disease:
Treatment of tick-borne encephalitis is necessary only in a hospital setting after diagnosis by an infectious disease doctor. During the period of illness for a long time it is necessary to comply with bed rest.
Initially, the therapy is carried out with antiancephalitic immunoglobulin, antiancephalitic plasma and antiviral drugs. In the future, symptomatic treatment is indicated. Assign glucose-salt solutions for the purpose of detoxifying the body, pain medications, are carried out by dehydration with diuretics to reduce cerebral edema.
The most reliable way to protect against tick-borne encephalitis is vaccination, which is usually carried out in the fall, after the end of the tick season. This is an active prophylaxis, but there is also a passive one, which occurs once after the tick bite.
Antiancephalitic immunoglobulin is administered intramuscularly for two days after exposure to arthropods, a later administration of the drug does not protect against the disease. Also, individual protection measures should be observed when visiting potentially hazardous locations: the
Infection presents a danger to humans, as it affects the structures of the brain and peripheral nerves, proceeds with fever and intoxication.
This is fraught with persistent complications from the nervous system( paralysis, paresis), psychiatric abnormalities, and with a rapidly progressive form of the disease, a fatal outcome is possible.
How can I get infected?
A person can become infected with tick-borne encephalitis in several ways:
- 1) In a transmissible manner. Most often, the virus is transmitted by the bites of ixodid ticks during the sucking of blood. Hence the name of the disease.
- 2) Alimentary, or food-borne disease can be obtained if you use raw milk of small cattle( sheep, goats).
- 3) Encephalitis infection by the contact method occurs through the entry of the pathogen into the bloodstream through skin lesions. This can happen when combing or trying to crush a tick.
It is known that mites can smell an animal at a great distance, and therefore they focus in places frequented by humans and animals. Such outbreaks are found in moist forests, forest-steppe zones, parks, on the banks of water bodies.
The tick climbs on the plant, and then attaches itself to clothing in the area of the lower extremities, penetrates under it and sucks, biting the skin and screwing it into the skin like a screw. If the arthropod is infected with encephalitis, then the pathogen will enter the human blood.
What should I do if I bite a tick?
The mite detected on the body should be removed immediately and made correctly. It is very important to remove the animal in the first hours, because the earlier the tick is removed, the greater the chances of avoiding a serious illness.
Extract the sucking parasite by tweezers or hands, but very carefully so as not to damage it. You can avoid this if you grab it closer to the surface of the skin. If during the manipulation to remove the head of the tick remained in the human body, then it can be withdrawn by a red-hot needle( pin).
The place of suction should be disinfected with iodine tincture, hands should be washed thoroughly. After the completion of all procedures, the tick must be taken to the laboratory, where a study will be conducted for its infection with the virus. If this is not possible, then it is necessary to immediately apply to a medical and preventive institution.
Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis
During 7-14 days after infection, the disease does not manifest itself in any way - it is an incubation period. The first symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis are acute and often before lunch with a sudden malaise, chills.
A temperature increase up to 38-40 ° C is possible. As the disease develops, a headache develops, which often becomes unbearable and intensifies under the influence of external stimuli( light, sound), and with a change in the position of the body.
Also begin to worry aching pain in the muscles of the lower and upper limbs, neck and back. In these muscle groups, paresis and paralysis often occur. The painful syndrome affects the joints, the lumbar spine.
The manifestations of tick-borne encephalitis may differ, which is determined by the form of the disease:
- 1) The febrile form usually has a favorable course and does not affect the nervous system. Nervous symptomatology is not expressed, and the main signs are manifested in the form of headache, nausea and general malaise.
- 2) Meningeal form occurs more often than other forms and is accompanied by specific meningeal signs( impossibility to lower the chin to the neck, symptoms of Kernig and Brudzinsky).The main sign is a severe pain in the head, aggravated by movement. Painful sensations are supplemented with vomiting and urge, dizziness, photophobia.
- 3) The meningoencephalitic form is more severe. The disease occurs with hallucinations, loss of orientation in place and in time. It is not excluded convulsive fits, passing into an epileptic status. Often develop paresis of facial muscles with the involvement of cranial nerves.
- 4) The poliomyelitis form is marked by the development of paralysis already in the first days of the disease. At first, there is a feeling of weakness and increased fatigue. This condition lasts 1-2 days, and then there are already languid pareses that are localized in the cervicothoracic region and can grow up to two weeks on a background of fever. These symptoms are accompanied by spastic paresis of the legs. Often the pain syndrome is very pronounced. After 2-3 weeks of increased motor impairment, the muscles atrophy.
- 5) The polyradiculoneuritis form of encephalitis is a rather rare phenomenon. For her, the nerve and root are prone. The disease manifests tingling and sensation of "crawling" in the direction of nerve trunks, painful sensations in the lumbar spine. The susceptibility of the extremities in the distal parts is disturbed.
Treatment of
Treatment of tick-borne encephalitis is necessary only in a hospital setting after diagnosis by an infectious disease doctor. During the period of illness for a long time it is necessary to comply with bed rest.
Initially, the therapy is carried out with antiancephalitic immunoglobulin, antiancephalitic plasma and antiviral drugs. In the future, symptomatic treatment is indicated. Assign glucose-salt solutions for the purpose of detoxifying the body, pain medications, are carried out by dehydration with diuretics to reduce cerebral edema.
Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis
The most reliable way to protect against tick-borne encephalitis is vaccination, which is usually carried out in the fall, after the end of the tick season. This is an active prophylaxis, but there is also a passive one, which occurs once after the tick bite.
Antiancephalitic immunoglobulin is administered intramuscularly for two days after exposure to arthropods, a later administration of the drug does not protect against the disease. Also, individual protection measures should be observed when visiting potentially hazardous locations: the
- pincers are clearly visible on a light background, so it is advisable that the clothing is not dark.
- on the sleeves and collar must be provided fixatives.
- trousers must always be filled in socks.
- outerwear should have a hood with strings, and if it is missing, then you should not forget about the headdress.
- recommends the use of repellents, which are applied to clothes and open parts of the body to repel insects.
- can also use acaracid preparations to kill mites, but they are intended only for use on clothing.
- at the exit from the forest you need to carefully inspect the hairy parts of the body, chest, ears, skin folds, inguinal area.