Risk area Protect now from the ticks!

Thoroughly check children for ticks after playing in nature
Like many other regions in southern Germany, the district of Donau-Ries in Swabia was classified as a TBE risk area by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Because in addition to borreliosis there can be triggered by tick bites, the dangerous early summer meningoencephalitis. Health experts therefore recommend vaccination against FSME.

Parents should also thoroughly check their children for ticks after playing outdoors. If an animal has already caught, it should be removed as quickly as possible with the help of a pair of ticks or tweezers. If redness occurs around the bite site or other body site, a doctor should be consulted immediately. Because Lyme disease - an infectious disease against which there is no vaccine - could be the cause. With antibiotic therapy, the disease can usually be cured quickly. In the conversation, Dr. Rainer Mainka, head of the health department Donau-Ries, and Utta Petzold, medical doctor at the Barmer GEK, what you should pay attention to in the tick season.

Note signs with "caution ticks"

Ticks can transmit Lyme disease and FSME
"From spring to late autumn you should protect yourself well when you are outside," said the expert. Because the consequences of a tick bite can be dramatic. Between ten and 20 percent of the animals are transmitters of Lyme disease, which can cause untreated joint and muscle inflammation. In addition, there is an increased risk of FSME in the district of Donau-Ries, an infectious disease that can cause inflammation of the meninges, brain and spinal cord.

While Lyme disease is well managed with antibiotics, there is no causal treatment for TBE. Only individual complaints can be alleviated. In severe cases, paralysis is the result. In the worst case, the patient dies from the infection. "That's why you should definitely get vaccinated against FSME," explains Mainka. To date, five Lyme disease and no TBE cases have been registered this year.

Beware of ticks
The population, but also tourists in the risk areas should therefore be careful. "To panic but there is no reason," says the expert. In addition to the TBE vaccine, it's all about protecting yourself from ticks. Most of them lurk in high grass or in low bushes at the knees of humans. "It can also be a park in the city," explains Mainka. It is advisable to wear long pants and put on the stockings so that the tick does not have access to the skin when brushing through grass. Back home, the body should be searched for the animals. "Especially in places that are warm and humid, because there they like the ticks very well," said the head of the health department.

Parents should also look after their children for a good tick protection. "It would be ideal if the little ones were wearing socks, shoes, long trousers and long-sleeved tops," explains Utta Petzold, a physician at Barmer GEK. At high temperatures, when long clothing is too warm, it makes sense to thoroughly search the children for ticks after playing in the countryside.

In order to protect themselves from ticks, mosquito repellents can also be applied. Whether the respective product is effective for ticks, the manufacturers say on the packaging.

Remove ticks as soon as possible
If a tick is detected, which has already bitten, it should be removed as soon as possible. Because the longer the animal is in the skin, the greater the risk that bacteria are transmitted from the tick to humans. To pull the tick out of the skin, there are special tick tongs and loops. "It is important not to squeeze the tick, so that possible pathogens are not also pushed out," says Mainka. Those who do not trust this can also have the animal removed by a doctor. This also applies if the tick head is stuck in the skin when trying to remove the animal. In the offices of the Johanniter there are also free tick cards in Swabia. "This is done directly over the skin and pry the tick carefully out," the newspaper quoted from a press release of Johanniter. Also tape should help as a tool.

However, glue, oil or other agents are taboo to stifle the tick. Because of this, the animal releases more saliva and gastric contents into the wound in the agony, which increases the risk of infection significantly.

If the tick has been successfully removed, it is advisable to observe the bite site. If a reddening develops, which spreads or spreads, the affected person may have become infected with Lyme disease. Then going to the doctor is essential, says Mainka. With an antibiotic therapy, the infection can be treated well. "And the sooner that happens, the better." (Ag)

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Image: Tamara Hoffmann, pixelio.de