Routes of transmission of tick-borne encephalitis: can you get infected from a person? -

The tick bite itself in most cases does not cause pain, so a person does not even suspect it until symptoms appear or he sees the parasite attached. There is a headache, drowsiness, muscle and joint pain, chills, fever and fear of light. People with fragile immune systems may also experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, wheezing, and even hallucinations. Malaise can appear either a couple of hours after the bite or several days and weeks later. If the tick was not infected, then health problems more serious than an allergy will not follow.

First aid for a bite

You need to remove the tick as soon as possible. It is advisable to do this in a hospital, emergency room or other medical facility. In the emergency room, the tick is removed from the human skin. If, after pulling out the parasite with tweezers, a black dot is visible in the center of the wound, this means that its head has come off and remains under the skin; it needs to be removed. If it disintegrates due to careless movement or goes even deeper into the blood, then the amount of virus in the blood will increase significantly. In the worst case, the wound will fester.

First, the bite is disinfected, and then the head is pulled out with a sterile needle, after which the wound is disinfected again. Disinfection does not guarantee that the infection will not enter the blood, but the chance of a favorable outcome will increase. At a minimum, there will be no purulent blister. Then the bite site is lubricated with ointment (Hydrocortisone, Advantan, Pimafucort, Flucinar) so that the bite heals faster and does not become inflamed. If there is no doctor nearby, you will have to get the tick out with your own hands. Several rules must be followed:

Do not smear the tick with sunflower oil or set it on fire, because in this case it will be of no use in the laboratory.
Read also: If a person is afraid of tickling, what does it mean?
To unhook the tick, you can use a thread, cosmetic tweezers, or a special device from the pharmacy. It is necessary to grasp the head of the parasite next to the skin, and not the body.
The tick must be pulled out in a counterclockwise circular motion. It is strictly forbidden to jerk it upward sharply or try to crush it immediately at the site of the bite.

The parasite must be placed in a glass jar. If you couldn’t keep it intact, you still need to take what you have. Even mite particles can be of great benefit. The DNA needed for research is contained in the tick’s body for no more than three days. If after a bite a rash similar to hives spreads throughout the body, you need to take antihistamines (Suprastin, Loratadine, Ebastine) and/or call an ambulance as soon as possible. This is an allergic reaction of a hypersensitive person immediately after being bitten. The patient's condition will quickly deteriorate, so there is not a minute to lose.

How can you become infected with encephalitis?

Tick-borne encephalitis, the mechanism of transmission of which to humans is based on circulation between different animal species, is most dangerous for humans. Infection occurs through the bite of a tick vector. When sucking blood, a tick releases a virus into a person’s blood, so the longer it stays on your body, the more infection penetrates the body, and the more dangerous the disease will be. This is why it is very important to remove the tick as soon as you notice it.

Additional routes of transmission of tick-borne encephalitis:

Infection is also possible when removing a tick if you crush it on your body. Try to do this carefully and not damage the carrier's body.
An additional mechanism of transmission of infection is the consumption of milk from an infected animal by humans; such cases are most often observed with goat milk. Infection through milk is only possible if it has not been boiled. The danger of this method of transmission is that the virus can affect the entire family at once.

Viral tick-borne encephalitis is a seasonal disease that is directly related to peaks in the activity of its vectors. Thus, the greatest likelihood of becoming infected with tick-borne encephalitis is observed in the spring-summer period, namely in May-June, as well as August-September. But the danger of infection remains throughout the warm period (April-September).

What does an encephalitis tick and its bite look like?

The encephalitis tick itself is no different from other ixodid ticks: it does not have any special spots, and the bite is also indistinguishable. How then can you understand that a tick is infected with encephalitis? Submit to the laboratory for testing. Only doctors can determine from the contents of the parasite’s body whether it is contagious or not.

Enlarged photo of an ixodid tick infected with encephalitis.

The tick chooses places with good blood circulation and thin skin that are hidden under clothing:

area behind the ears;
armpits;
neck;
breast;
stomach;
small of the back;
groin area.

The picture shows the most favorite places where ticks bite.
At the site of the bite, you will most often notice a small black or brown insect with four legs on the sides. The more blood he sucks, the larger his body. It clings to the skin with the help of a hypostome, a small proboscis in front. It is impossible to distinguish a sterile tick from an infected one by appearance. Only analysis in the laboratory will show an unambiguous result. The bite site is a red dot, similar to a mark from a strong pinpoint blow. The skin around it turns red, a swollen ring appears, but it may not exist. Redness and slight swelling are a standard allergic reaction to tick saliva, but if the red spot grows to ten centimeters or more, then this is already a sign of Lyme disease.

Tick research in the laboratory

It is important to preserve the tick for the laboratory, because only there can it be thoroughly studied and understand what infections it has transmitted to the affected person and whether it has suffered at all. This procedure is called a tick test. The diagnosis, therapy and selection of medications for the patient depend on it. Doctors record the fact of the bite, remove the parasite and send it for study. The victim is told a detailed plan for further action.

When going to the hospital, you need to clarify the question of simultaneous testing not only for encephalitis, but also for other infections. The tick will not be returned, and you will not be able to go to another laboratory with a new request. A tick test takes on average three days, but in private clinics it can take 12 hours. If the test is positive, the person will be given gamma globulins within three days. To find out the result, you can call the hospital yourself, but according to the rules, the doctor is obliged to inform the infected patient about the diagnosis.

Protect yourself from ticks

25.06.2016

The increase in the number of ticks and their appearance even in the parks of large cities raises concern in connection with diseases whose pathogens are carried by these insects. Among such infections are tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis, rickettsiosis and others. Tick-borne encephalitis is the most severe of this list of diseases. Every year in our country about 3,000 people suffer from it. In Russia, more than 50 million people live in areas where there is a risk of contracting this infection. Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, talks about why this disease is dangerous, about vaccines to protect against tick-borne encephalitis, their effectiveness and regimens for use, as well as about measures aimed at preventing tick attacks and the necessary actions if a tick bite does occur. Head of the laboratory of the Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitis named after. M.P. Chumakova Galina Grigorievna Karganova.

– What kind of disease is tick-borne encephalitis, why is it dangerous?

– The tick-borne encephalitis virus was discovered in 1937, when a team of Soviet scientists led by virologist Lev Zilber went on an expedition to the Far East to find out why many local residents were dying and many were left disabled. And scientists were able to isolate this virus from the tissues of sick and dead people and discover its carriers – ticks. As a result of the expedition, it was finally proven that it is ticks that transmit encephalitis and infect people. Already between the first two expeditions, in 1937-38, the first vaccine against tick-borne encephalitis was created, which became a huge achievement in Soviet and world virology.

Tick-borne encephalitis is an extremely dangerous disease. Severe damage to the nervous system may develop. In our country, there has been a pronounced increase in morbidity since the early 90s, when 5-10 thousand people fell ill in Russia every year, about 30% of those who recovered from focal forms became disabled, and about 50 people died. Today in Russia there is a decrease in this disease - about 3 thousand people suffer from it every year, but a high percentage of severe forms of the disease will remain; in Europe this figure is 1-3%, and in our country it is from 1 to 50%, depending on the region. For example, it is believed that in the Far East tick-borne encephalitis is more severe than in the European part of Russia.

— How can you become infected with tick-borne encephalitis?

– There are several ways of transmitting the virus. The most common is transmissible (tick sucking) - about 90% of all cases. The virus enters the human body with the first drops of saliva from the tick. The nutritional method of transmission of infection is quite rare, when the virus enters the body with the raw milk of goats, cows, sheep; there have been cases of transmission of infection even through cheese. And we also highlight the so-called “forest factor”, when a person does not even notice a tick bite, it seems to him that nothing happened, but in fact there was a bite. A tick bite is actually quite easy to miss. Because in the larval stage, or the next stage (nymph), it is a very small insect. Moreover, all stages of tick development - larva, nymph, adult insect - are dangerous to humans. Although the larvae develop mainly on small animals, people are too large for them, but they must drink blood at least once before they can move on to the next stage. It happens that their targets are small children. Adult females are the most dangerous for humans, but even her bite can be missed, because when sucking, the tick injects an anesthetic substance and if it has attached itself in a secluded place, it can feed even for a week, remaining unnoticed.

– What to expect if you are infected with tick-borne encephalitis?

– How sick a person will be depends on the dose of the virus that has entered the body. As I already said, as soon as the tick begins to feed, the virus enters the body and begins to multiply there. The longer the tick feeds, the greater the dose of the virus. Therefore, the most important thing, if suction occurs, is to remove the tick as quickly as possible. It is better to do this with the help of a doctor, but if this is not possible, then do it yourself. It is important to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull as hard as possible. Even if the head remains, then it’s not so scary – it’s a splinter. There is no need to lubricate the tick with oil before removing it, because the water-salt balance is very important for ticks, and in this case the ticks begin to suck more intensely. After removal, the wound must be treated with any disinfectant solution that is at hand (chlorhexidine, iodine solution, alcohol, etc.). Brilliant is also suitable for treating a wound, but if it is possible to replace it, then it is better to do so, since during an examination it is important for the doctor to see the bite mark, and brilliant green stains it intensely.

I note that not everyone who has been bitten by a tick gets tick-borne encephalitis. Statistics say that this is about 5 out of 100 people bitten by infected ticks. There are also several types of infection development in the body. Asymptomatic infection with rapid removal of infection from the body - the person does not notice it. Acute infection without complications - severely ill, but no complications. Acute infection with residual effects - paralysis, paresis, hearing damage and complete elimination (removal) of the virus. And an acute infection that turns into a chronic form when the virus remains in the body.

The incubation period for a tick bite lasts up to 21 days, but usually manifests itself in the first two weeks, although there have been cases when a person fell ill 3 months after the bite. After this, the first “febrile” stage begins, which can last 2-4 days, sometimes 7 days. This stage is accompanied by nonspecific symptoms, including fever, malaise, headaches, and fever. Then sometimes an “imaginary recovery” occurs, which lasts from 1 to 20 days; there are often cases when this does not happen. And in 20-30% of patients, the meningeal stage then occurs, which is accompanied by damage to the central nervous system, including meningitis.

I note that ticks transmit only encephalitis, but also bacterial infections such as borreliosis, rickettsiosis and others. Tick-borne borreliosis is even more common than encephalitis. It is not as dangerous as encephalitis (although in advanced cases you can even die) and can be treated well with antibiotics (there is no vaccine for it), but it is a very unpleasant disease.

Mixed infections due to a tick bite are also quite common. The share of mixed infections, depending on the region, can account for from 10 to 30%. Tick-borne encephalitis together with tick-borne borreliosis is more severe, with a higher percentage of chronic forms - up to 25%. But, as a rule, for diseases such as borreliosis and rickettsiosis to occur, it takes time; it is necessary for the tick to feed for more than 12 hours. That's why it's so important to quickly remove the tick, so you protect yourself not only from tick-borne encephalitis, but also from bacterial infections. Bacterial agents may remain at the site of tick attachment, so it is important to treat the wound to protect yourself from these bacteria.

– Why is tick-borne encephalitis spreading more and more and how to protect yourself from it?

–Indeed, the habitat of ticks, carriers of this virus, is increasing. In Russia it is distributed very widely, throughout the country except the north and south. But recently there has been a change in the habitat of ticks. In particular, in the south of the country, areas where these ticks exist have already appeared, but diseases have not yet been registered. The fact is that in the USSR they used DDT to fight ticks and used it on a very large scale. But the last time such processing was carried out was in 1968. The fact is that this substance persists in the environment for a long time, so the area was treated every three to five years. But his durability is also a drawback. Studies have shown that it accumulates, DDT began to be found in the milk of nursing mothers, in glaciers in the Arctic. And all developed countries have banned the use of DDT for pest control.

Today, to treat areas, acaricidal preparations against ticks are used, which quickly disappear, so treatment with them must be carried out twice a year.

This is very expensive and difficult to organize. Of course, parks, sanatoriums, holiday homes, children's camps are still necessarily treated at the beginning of the season, but these are limited areas. And there is no guarantee of 100% protection; it is enough to be at least a little outside the treated area.

There are ways to protect yourself against ticks – protecting your body. The tick lives in grass litter, so you need to dress so that it cannot crawl under your trousers, for which I recommend tucking your trousers into your socks and wearing boots in the forest. Then the tick will begin to rise higher, the shirt should also be tucked into the trousers and it is necessary to protect the head with a hat. Today there are acaricidal preparations in the form of sprays for treating clothes; you must strictly follow the instructions for these preparations, but, of course, both clothing and a careful examination of yourself after a walk do not provide a 100% guarantee of protection.

In Russia, emergency prevention is also used - when infected ticks are sucked on, unvaccinated people are given a specific immunoglobulin in the first 72 hours. But you need to understand that this is a “blood product”; it is obtained from the blood of vaccinated donors. In European countries with a high percentage of the vaccinated population, the production of immunoglobulin against tick-borne encephalitis has been completely stopped. And today there is no data on how effective repeated use of such a drug is. And we know for sure that there are quite frequent negative reactions in response to the administration of immunoglobulin to healthy people. It is better to protect yourself preventively than after the fact. There are no specific treatments for tick-borne encephalitis. We treat only its consequences so that a person can cope with the disease more easily.

The only reliable means of specific prevention is vaccination, which is the most reliable preventive measure. All persons living in endemic areas or traveling to them are subject to mandatory vaccination. Vaccines do not protect against bacterial infections transmitted by ticks, but they allow you to avoid tick-borne encephalitis and mixed infections, which, as I said, are much more severe.

– What vaccines are used today to prevent tick-borne encephalitis?

Currently, 4 drugs are registered in Russia - two domestic and two imported. Russian vaccines: “Encevir” and “Dry tick-borne encephalitis vaccine”, imported vaccines: “Encepur”, (Germany) FSME-Immun (Austria). All vaccines for the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis are interchangeable; Western European strains of the tick-borne encephalitis virus, from which imported vaccines are prepared, and the strains used in domestic production are similar in antigenic structure. Now all manufacturers have vaccines for both adults and children, which differ from each other only in the doses of antigens.

– How safe and effective are these vaccines?

– These are inactivated vaccines with a high degree of purification and safety. Local adverse reactions may occur, which include redness, induration, soreness, swelling at the site of vaccine administration, and a slight increase in temperature. These are normal local reactions that go away quickly. The list of contraindications is indicated in the instructions for each vaccine. It is generally not recommended to get vaccinated against the background of an exacerbation of a chronic disease; during illness, people with allergies should be careful. There is a recommendation to monitor vaccinated people for 1 hour due to the risk of allergic reactions. Of course, no vaccine provides 100% protection, but these vaccines are very effective. Among those vaccinated, the risk of tick-borne encephalitis is reduced by 20 times, and the development of severe forms of the disease tends to zero.

– What is the vaccination schedule and when is the best time to get vaccinated?

— The standard vaccination regimen consists of three doses. The first two vaccinations are given one after the other. Between the first and second vaccination it can take from 1 to 7 months. For the majority of vaccinated people to develop immunity, 2 vaccinations with an interval of 1 month are enough. Lasting immunity to tick-borne encephalitis appears two weeks after the second dose, regardless of the type of vaccine and the chosen regimen. However, to develop full and long-term (at least 3 years) immunity, it is necessary to get a third vaccination a year after the second. Revaccination against tick-borne encephalitis is carried out every 3 years after the third vaccination. Revaccination is carried out by a single injection of a standard dose of the vaccine.

Regarding the timing of vaccination, it should be kept in mind that there are two most common types of tick vectors. The main reservoir that supports the existence of the pathogen is ixodes ticks (Ixodes persulcatus), the border of its distribution runs along the border of the Moscow region, in the northeast of the European part of our country and throughout Siberia. The peak activity of this tick is May-June. And another species is Ixodes ricinus, which is distributed mainly in the European region, and in our country - this is the southwest of the European part of Russia. It has two peaks of activity, spring and autumn - early September. Therefore, you can vaccinate against tick-borne encephalitis all year round, but you need to plan vaccination in such a way that at least 2 weeks pass from the moment of the second vaccination before a possible encounter with a tick.

– If a person has already had tick-borne encephalitis, how long does immunity last and is it necessary to get vaccinated?

— For a long time it was believed that a person who has had tick-borne encephalitis has lifelong immunity. And in fact, the risk of getting sick again is extremely small, but it exists. If a person has a chronic form of encephalitis, then antibodies protect him from activation of the chronic form of encephalitis, and if a vaccine is administered, it will bind these antibodies and the level of specific antibodies can be reduced. Therefore, you need to donate blood to check for antibodies to tick-borne encephalitis, and if you have them, then you don’t need to be vaccinated.

– If a bite does occur, but there is no vaccination, then what should you do?

– You need to carefully monitor your condition. A rise in temperature, enlarged lymph nodes, or the appearance of a red spot at the site of the bite is a reason to consult a doctor, and the sooner the better. It has been proven that heavy physical activity, hypothermia, and emotional stress can worsen the course of the disease, so it is necessary to reduce these factors. If the doctor is far away, then you still need to find a way to hospitalize the patient, because with cerebral edema, if this suddenly happens, help is only possible in a hospital. If you removed the tick yourself and are in doubt about whether you are infected or not, then the tick should not be thrown away, but placed in a jar and taken for laboratory testing to a virology laboratory. Laboratories can be located at infectious diseases hospitals, diagnostic and treatment centers, emergency rooms - they should tell you where exactly the insect should be taken. The result of the analysis is extremely important, since all subsequent activities will be carried out on its basis.

Forms of encephalitis

The main forms of tick-borne encephalitis:

Feverish
: Can be found in more than fifty infected people. The consequences are not fatal, but the fever lasts about a week. A distinctive feature of this form: the temperature either drops or rises again. When the condition returns to normal, all that remains is weakness, poor appetite, sweating and rapid heartbeat. Recovery may take 4 weeks.
Meningeal : Occurs in only a third of patients. The form is so called because in the first day after the bite, encephalitis is confused with meningitis due to similar symptoms: due to brain damage there is a headache, fever, tense muscles (the person cannot even straighten his leg or arm), very sensitive skin. Fever and chills last for 1.5-2 weeks, weakness can persist for up to two months.
Focal
: Occurs in twenty percent of patients. The most severe and life-threatening form, as it can cause disability and death. The virus directly affects the brain and/or spinal cord. First there is a fever for several days (there may be hallucinations), and only then all the signs of encephalitis appear (lethargy, nausea, tremor, chills, headache, back pain).
Poliomyelitis
: The rarest (1% of patients), but very dangerous form. Complications often occur, which can also lead to disability and death. Can be identified by signs: disturbances in movements, numbness of the limbs, muscle weakness, general lethargy, the patient cannot hold his head straight or raise his arm).
Chronic
: Symptoms of encephalitis appear and intensify gradually. The main impact falls on the nervous system, problems with reflexes appear, and sometimes epileptic syndrome appears.

Scientists have dispelled myths about tick-borne encephalitis

“Today we can recommend the administration of immunoglobulin only under one condition, that we know for sure that the tick that bit a person is infected with this virus. There are no diagnostic problems today; they are produced by many manufacturers and many laboratories are good at doing this. Only then can immunoglobulin be administered,” Valery Loktev, head of the department of molecular virology of flaviviruses and viral hepatitis at Vector, told reporters.

According to him, modern vaccines against tick-borne encephalitis are much more effective and safe than immunoglobulin.

“As a rule, the first administration of immunoglobulin in a person’s life is not accompanied by any serious complications. Repeated use often causes allergic reactions, up to anaphylactic shock and the possibility of obtaining something incomprehensible and not yet studied from this immunoglobulin, since this drug is “live,” says the scientist.

He said that, for example, until 1992, all series of immunoglobulins that were produced in Russia were not tested for HIV infection, since HIV was simply unknown.

“Immunoglobulin was produced and administered to everyone. No one knows whether these drugs contained the HIV virus. The same situation can repeat itself now: you introduce immunoglobulin, but no one knows whether there are oncogenic viruses that are unknown to science today. Thus, you take a very big risk,” Loktev said.

He noted that control over vaccines is much stricter, since the vaccine is not a live drug, but chemically inactivated.

A tick can crawl up trees and jump

The tick lives in grass, small bushes and does not rise above 50-70 centimeters above the ground, the scientist says.

“A tick can only get onto trees when it attaches itself to a bird. Only she can carry it up the tree. The tick itself usually does not rise above 50-70 centimeters, so usually all cases of tick crawling are associated with touching grass or small bushes. The tick itself never jumps or falls from the sky,” assured Valery Loktev.

You can get encephalitis from touching an infected tick.

The scientist refuted the recently widespread opinion that the tick-borne encephalitis virus can be infected simply by touching an infected tick.

“This usually means that the fact of a tick bite often goes unnoticed. We don't always notice the bite. According to our observations, 20-30 tick bites go unnoticed,” Loktev said.

According to him, for the virus to penetrate the skin, a very dangerous crushed tick must come into contact with some kind of microtrauma on the surface of the skin.

“Getting infected simply by touching a tick is like putting medicine on your arm rather than injecting it intravenously. If you don’t crush the tick and rub it into the wound, nothing will happen,” says the scientist.

Treating city parks with anti-mite solutions protects citizens all season long

Treating city parks with anti-tick repellents is quite effective, but only lasts for a month. After this period, ticks return to parks and squares.

“In a month, all the ticks will return to the parks and next year there will be no less of them. Naturally, this treatment is not indifferent to nature. It is impossible to sterilize nature. Frequent treatment simply destroys not only ticks, but also the bushes themselves, small insects, rodents, and birds,” Loktev said.

Scientists believe that the only effective (and much cheaper compared to immunoglobulin) means of combating tick-borne encephalitis is vaccine prophylaxis.

“Of the Russian regions, I can only cite the Sverdlovsk region as a positive example, where the authorities adopted a resolution, and today they have vaccinated 70% of the region’s population - that’s 4.5 million people. They are seeing a real decrease in the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis,” Loktev said.

The use of an anti-encephalitis vaccine leads to an almost complete absence of encephalitis. Austria proved this by its example, which vaccinated almost the entire population. In the neighboring Czech Republic, the incidence is growing and reaches 700 cases per year.

Today, about 700 million people live in areas where tick-borne encephalitis is common. These are more than 30 countries in Europe and Asia.

In Russia, the maximum outbreaks of incidence were in 1996 and 1999 - 10-11 thousand cases per year. In recent years, the incidence in Russia remains at the level of 4.5-5 thousand cases.

“All three main genotypes of tick-borne encephalitis are present in Russia. The most dangerous is the Far Eastern subtype with a mortality rate of 20-30%, the Siberian subtype with a mortality rate of 2 to 6% and the Western European subtype with a mortality rate of less than 0.1%,” the scientist said.

Tick-borne encephalitis is an infectious disease that primarily affects the central nervous system. Severe complications of acute infection can result in paralysis and death.

Clinical picture of the development of encephalitis

The mild course of the disease is characterized by mild symptoms; encephalitis is still difficult to diagnose. The disease is divided into two stages: fever and damage to the nervous system. When there is slight relief from the fever, the virus begins to cause damage to the brain and/or spinal cord. After treatment with immunoglobulin, the residual effects of encephalitis will disappear:

After a month, if the course of the disease is mild.
After 2-4 months, if the disease is of moderate severity.
After a year, if the encephalitis was very difficult to tolerate.

Symptoms of borreliosis after a tick bite

They appear on days 7-10. Characteristic signs of infection are:

chills and fever;
symptoms of intoxication occur;
the neck muscles are “stiffened”;
ring-shaped redness appears at the site of the bite, which is accompanied by pain and itching;
lymph nodes enlarge;
Sometimes symptoms of meningitis appear.

The characteristic redness is called ring-shaped erythema. It refers to the first stage of the disease, which lasts almost a month. Then follows the second stage of the disease. The cardiovascular system is already suffering here. The facial nerve may be affected, resulting in lacrimation and hearing loss. After one and a half or two years, the third stage of infection begins, which entails chronic damage to the nervous system.

Why are the symptoms not the same in all people?

Different symptoms occur for several reasons:

Different subtypes of the virus (the Siberian subtype is very dangerous, the Western or European subtype is moderately dangerous, the Far Eastern subtype is a violent manifestation often with a fatal outcome).
General health and immunity. The weaker a person is, the more severe encephalitis is for him.
The amount of encephalitis virus and other infections that have entered the blood.
Time to provide medical care.
The virus can attack different organs in different people, which also affects the clinical picture.

Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis in a child

The first couple of weeks the virus does not manifest itself in any way. If the child has been given immunoglobulin, this period is extended for three weeks. Encephalitis always worsens sharply: the temperature reaches 40 degrees. This is the main sign; the rest depend on the child’s individual data:

Migraine;
Severe drowsiness;
General weakness and lethargy;
Difficult to swallow;
Red face;
Loss of voice or speech impairment;
Repeated vomiting;
Lower back pain;
Photophobia;
Convulsions;
Tongue paralysis;
Muscle pain and weakness;
Dilatation of blood vessels in the eyes;
Impaired consciousness;
Heart failure;
Arrhythmia;
The body is exhausted, the condition is getting worse.

Symptoms of encephalitis after a tick bite

In humans, they appear within a week or later. Penetrating into the human blood, the virus negatively affects the nervous system. Signs of encephalitis after a tick bite:

temperature rises to 40 degrees;
headache and muscle pain occurs;
loss of consciousness;
vomiting, nausea;
sleep disorder;
chills.

The acute period can last up to two weeks. The person's skin turns red, including redness of the eyeballs. The lung may become inflamed, bronchitis may occur, and disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system may also occur.

Treatment of encephalitis

The result of treatment primarily depends on timely medical care. Taking medications, caring for the bite, and closely monitoring the patient's condition will prevent unpleasant surprises. There is a main treatment method and an additional one that will help improve health during and after illness.

Immunoglobulin

Administration of immunoglobulin to an infected person is an emergency prophylaxis against encephalitis. The drug binds to virus particles and deactivates them. Thus, the development of the virus stops, and the disease itself is stopped. This method can be used immediately after the bite, preferably within the first two days. The deadline is 4 days. This is its advantage over conventional vaccination. Immunoglobulin is considered the most effective and convenient treatment method today, since more than 90% of infected people do not develop encephalitis.

If the disease does develop, you still need to take immunoglobulin and, along with it, take a course of anti-intoxication medications. Within a few days the patient will feel better and the symptoms will begin to subside. In reality, getting an injection is not easy. Poor organization of work in the hospital. Stocks of the drug are quickly running out due to the large number of patients. In private clinics, the medicine costs quite a lot, since it is imported from abroad. There, immunoglobulin production decreases because the number of tick bites decreases. For this reason, the medicine is in short supply and its price is rising.

Folk remedies

This treatment is highly discouraged and does not guarantee recovery. Ticks cope well with cold, but die at high temperatures. The same thing happens with the virus. In cool conditions it can exist for years, at room temperature the incubation period lasts a couple of weeks, and at boiling water temperatures it is immediately destroyed. It is the temperature of the environment in which the virus is located that determines how long it takes for symptoms to appear. For this reason, it is advisable to sit in a bathhouse for two hours and conduct such sessions for three days in a row. At the same time, you need to take a warm decoction of pine needles and aspen bark eight times a day. 1 tablespoon of pine needles and 1 tablespoon of aspen bark should be poured with 500 ml of boiling water. Then the broth is infused for an hour.

Complications

Complications appear if medical care was not provided in the required time frame, the person was initially in poor health, and encephalitis was quite severe. Possible consequences of the disease:

Terrible headaches.
Meningitis.
Poor coordination, paralysis, paresis.
Breathing problems.
Deterioration of hearing, vision, taste, skin sensitivity.
Mental disability, poor memory.
Incontinence.
Psychical deviations.
Personality degeneration, changes in consciousness, hallucinations.

All of the above complications arise due to too severe damage to the brain and/or spinal cord. They are responsible for movements, nerve impulses, the functioning of the senses and the psyche.

Prevention methods

Ideally, it is necessary to get vaccinated, since after infection the vaccine is strictly prohibited. This procedure is not only useless, but also harmful. The vaccine is a weaker version of the virus, but it will make the disease worse. The vaccine is mandatory for everyone who frequently comes into contact with the forest, and is desirable for those who are planning to relax in nature in the near future.

The vaccination should be done a month before traveling to a tick habitat, the deadline is two weeks before departure. You must wear the correct clothing in an unsafe area. These are sweaters with long sleeves, pants with long legs. You should cover your neck with a high collar or scarf. Depending on the time of year, you can wear thermal underwear: due to the tight fit, it will not allow insects to reach the groin area, one of the main targets of ticks on the body. The head must be covered with a hood. Among the supplies there should be a first aid kit to immediately treat the bite site. When walking, you should avoid bushes and tall grass; it is better to cross the forest along a well-trodden path.

Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis

Signs of an encephalitis tick bite in a person can easily be confused at the first stage with a cold. Infection in the body causes general malaise. The first symptoms of an encephalitis tick bite in a person are expressed:

high temperature, up to 40°;
weakness, aches throughout the body;
arrhythmia;
sweating;
headache and muscle pain;
chills;
sleep disorder;
nausea and vomiting.

These signs indicate the activity of viruses; symptoms of varying degrees of intensity appear for 5-10 days. If health improves, then a favorable prognosis is that the person has received stable immunity to tick-borne encephalitis and has suffered from the disease in a febrile form. In such cases, the transition to a chronic form occurs quite rarely.

The manifestation of encephalitis after a tick bite in the meningeal form is distinguished by special symptoms that complement the main ones:

photophobia;
increased muscle tone (rigidity), which does not allow you to perform movements, for example, pressing your head to your chest;
excruciating headaches.

The return after a feverish state and a short break (7-10 days) of a sharp deterioration in health indicates the penetration of the virus into the nervous system and reproduction in the internal organs. The disease has progressed to a stage when the infection has crossed the blood-brain barrier, a semi-permeable membrane between the brain and substances circulating in the blood. The consequences of an encephalitis tick bite in humans vary depending on the form of the lesion:

poliomyelitis - followed by paralysis of the neck and arms, leading to disability of the victim;
meningoencephalitic - mental disorders, serious disturbances of consciousness, epileptic seizures, hallucinations;
polyradiculoneurotic - severe pain in the groin area, paralysis of the limbs, lethargy, loss of sensitivity due to damage to peripheral nerves.

The medical prognosis for the febrile, meningeal form is usually favorable. Other forms (poliomyelitis, meningoencephalitic, polyradiculoneurotic) lead to death in approximately 30% of cases. of the central nervous system persist for 1-2 years

sensitivity disorders;
vomit;
headache;
convulsions;
psychomotor agitation;
clouding of consciousness.

Complications and consequences after an encephalitis tick bite in humans manifest themselves in vascular disorders, heart failure, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and other diseases.

The brightness and intensity of clinical manifestations always depend on the location and subtype of the disease:

Far Eastern - begins with an acute phase of fever, an increase in other symptoms, leading to paralysis and coma. After 6-7 days the person dies;
European - proceeds in 2 stages. The first is characterized by flu-like symptoms, the second - by lesions of the nervous system of varying degrees, both mild and severe.

The most dangerous form of development of the disease is focal, in which doctors give an extremely unfavorable prognosis, since the virus penetrates directly into the brain or spinal cord, resulting in obvious signs of an encephalitis tick bite in a person: