Ticks have claimed the lives of 7 children and 5 adults in Belarus

April 8, Minsk /Elena Prus - BELTA/. Belarus has seen its first victims of ticks. Twelve people, including 7 children, have suffered from the bites of blood-sucking insects, Svetlana Yashkova, an entomologist at the Republican Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health, told a BELTA correspondent. Moreover, the earliest cases of tick attacks this year were recorded back in February, with 3 residents of the Brest region affected. In March, the "geography" of bites significantly expanded to include the Grodno, Vitebsk, Gomel, and Minsk regions. Incidentally, the prolonged spring contributed to the number of victims of blood-sucking arthropods being three times lower compared to February-March of last year. "Usually, the peak activity of ixodid ticks occurs in May," the specialist said. "But if the warm weather persists in April, the arthropods will become active much earlier, which means you need to be very careful when relaxing in the forest or working at your dacha." The entomologist warned against consuming raw goat milk, emphasizing that it must be boiled. It is worth recalling that this was the cause of a tick-borne encephalitis outbreak in 2006. In total, in 2008, 28,578 people in Belarus fell victim to ticks (in 2007 - 31.5 thousand, in 2006 - 35.8 thousand, in 2005 - 16 thousand people). Last year, the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis decreased (67 people were infected compared to 82 in 2007) and Lyme disease (632 people fell ill in 2008, compared to 647 in 2007). "In previous years, there was an increase in the number of Lyme disease cases, which particularly affects the skin, nervous and cardiovascular systems, musculoskeletal system, liver, and spleen," the interlocutor added. "For example, in 2006 there were 878 cases of borreliosis, in 2005 - 525, in 2004 - 515, and in 2003 - 501." At the same time, Svetlana Yashkova emphasized that 76% of the country's territory is unfavorable for encephalitis, and 92% for Lyme disease. This means that carriers of these diseases were detected in almost the entire territory of the republic. Tick bites and related health problems can be avoided by wearing tightly fitting clothing and a hat. Exposed areas of the body should be treated with repellents. It is very important to conduct self-examinations and mutual examinations. If a tick is found attached, it should be removed from the skin as quickly as possible, and the wound should be treated with iodine. The remains of the arthropod should be taken to the territorial center of hygiene and epidemiology for examination – it may be infected with Lyme disease or encephalitis and transmit the infection to humans. If it turns out that the tick was infected, doctors at the polyclinic will prescribe preventive treatment to the victim. -0-