Blood Hunt Season: Women Are Attacked by Ticks More Often

      Experts are drawing the attention of Russians to the fact that the tick season is not limited to the spring months. The traditional peak of their activity occurs from April to June; however, caution should be exercised in nature until September. The Kirov region is among those areas where the risk of bites is considered elevated.

      Statistics on visits to medical institutions show that women make up the majority of those affected by tick bites, accounting for 73% of cases. Analysts attribute this to the fact that women more often choose active outdoor recreation and find themselves in places where the bulk of parasites accumulate: forested areas with dense grass, overgrown road shoulders, ravines, cemeteries with abundant vegetation, as well as garden plots bordering on the wilderness.

      As for the age structure, in 63% of cases, bites are recorded in people from two age groups: 40–50 years and over 60 years. In most situations, victims extract the tick themselves and send it for laboratory analysis. The most sought-after tests during this period remain comprehensive PCR studies for 4–6 infections.

      Different species of ticks can be found in Russia. Some wait for a person or animal in grass and low bushes at a height of no more than 1–1.5 meters, while others actively pursue their prey in open areas, following it for several meters. To reduce the risk on personal plots, specialists advise regularly mowing the grass, combating weeds and shrub overgrowth, avoiding cluttering the territory, and treating the plot and the adjacent strip behind the fence, 1–2 meters wide, with insectoacaricide preparations.

      However, treatment of the territory only protects within the plot and does not guarantee safety beyond its borders. The only reliable method of preventing tick-borne viral encephalitis remains vaccination. The standard scheme involves two vaccinations with an interval of 1 to 7 months, followed by revaccination after a year, and then once every three years. The ideal time to start vaccination is autumn or winter, so that immunity has time to develop by the gardening season. For those who did not manage to get vaccinated in advance, an accelerated scheme is provided: two injections with an interval of 2–4 weeks.

      In addition to encephalitis, ticks carry borreliosis, ehrlichiosis, the Congo-Crimean fever virus, anaplasmosis, and other diseases. As of today, there are no vaccines against them. Treatment of severe forms of these infections, especially if it takes place in a hospital, can cost tens and hundreds of thousands of rubles. Insurance can be an alternative to financial risks — a policy covering tick bites includes emergency prevention, tests, doctor visits, and rehabilitation. As noted by the insurance company "Soglasie," the cost of such a policy starts from several hundred rubles, while one injection of immunoglobulin without insurance is comparable in price to an annual insurance policy for the whole family.