Tick-borne Encephalitis - Prevention, Signs, Vaccination

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Tick-borne encephalitis

Brief description of the disease

Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral disease that is caused by ixodid ticks, leads to damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems, causes severe complications, resulting in paralysis and death.

Ixodid ticks are common in forest and forest-steppe zones with a temperate climate. Several species of these parasites are known, but, as a rule, tick-borne encephalitis occurs after the bites of Ixodes Persulcatus (taiga tick) or Ixodes Ricinus (European forest tick). The first is more common in Asia, the second - in the European region. In Russia, the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is especially relevant for residents of Siberia, the Far East, the Urals and the central regions of the country.

Tick-borne encephalitis is characterized by strict seasonality. Cases of tick-borne encephalitis are recorded in the spring and summer months, when the activity of carriers of the infection increases. As for the infection, it occurs immediately after the bite and subsequent bloodsucking of the victim. In addition, tick-borne encephalitis virus can be transmitted through the digestive tract by consuming raw milk from sick cows.

Signs of tick-borne encephalitis

The average duration of the incubation period for infection is 7-14 days. At the initial stages, tick-borne encephalitis manifests itself with the following symptoms:

• numbness of the skin of the face and neck;
• weakness in the limbs and muscles;
• chills;
• an increase in body temperature up to 40 ⁰;
• sharp headache;
• nausea, vomiting;
• fast fatiguability;
• sleep disorders.

In the acute period, patients with tick-borne encephalitis have hyperemia of the neck, face and chest, as well as injection of sclera and conjunctivitis. People are worried about severe pain in the limbs and muscles, especially where paralysis and paresis appear in the future. In addition, at the onset of the disease, the tick-borne encephalitis virus can lead to frequent loss of consciousness and a feeling of deafness. As the disease progresses, these symptoms often develop into states close to coma.

Clinical picture

Currently, experts identify 5 forms of tick-borne encephalitis, each of which is characterized by a leading syndrome of the disease.

• febrile - the duration of the fever is 3-5 days. This form is distinguished by a favorable course and quick recovery, if, of course, the patient was vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis on time. The main signs of the disease are: nausea, headache, weakness;
• meningeal is the most common type of infection. Patients suffer from severe headaches, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, pain in the eyes. The person becomes lethargic and inhibited, and the unpleasant symptoms are stable throughout the entire period of treatment and can persist even at normal temperatures. Large amounts of protein are found in cerebrospinal fluid samples;
• meningoencephalitic - characterized by a severe course. Tick-borne encephalitis leads to psychomotor agitation, delirium, hallucinations, disorientation, epileptic seizures. Patients quickly develop paresis, cerebellar syndrome, myoclonus. When the vegetative centers are affected, the disease provokes the development of gastric bleeding syndrome with profuse bloody vomiting;
• poliomyelitis - is diagnosed in almost 30% of sick people. They complain of rapid fatigue, general malaise, sudden development of weakness in any limb (in the future, it will most likely be subject to motor impairments). Frequent and flaccid paresis of the cervicobrachial localization. Tick-borne encephalitis symptoms progress rapidly. If the vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis is late, at the end of the 2-3rd week, the patients develop muscle atrophy;
• polyradiculoneuritic - characterized by lesions of peripheral roots and nerves, sensory disorders, flaccid paralysis of the legs, which can spread to the muscles of the arms and trunk.

Emergency care for tick-borne encephalitis

At the first suspicion of tick-borne encephalitis, the patient must be urgently hospitalized in the infectious diseases department. Treatment is carried out according to general principles, with adherence to bed rest and maximum restriction of mobility to minimize pain irritation. Since the tick-borne encephalitis virus causes functional disorders of the liver, stomach and intestines, patients are prescribed a strict diet, as well as taking vitamins of group B and C to restore the vitamin balance.

Etiotropic therapy is reduced to the appointment of a homologous gamma globulin, which is injected intramuscularly once a day. In full force, the vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis begins to work after 12-24 hours: the body temperature decreases, headaches disappear, and overall health improves.

Modern methods of treating tick-borne encephalitis involve the use of interferon preparations, which are administered intramuscularly, intravenously or endolymphatically.

Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis

When going out into nature in the spring-summer period, you must remember about elementary caution. To protect against ticks, wear clothing that covers your arms and legs, and use insect repellents. There is also a more effective way to defeat tick-borne encephalitis - vaccination, which is allowed for adults and children (from the age of 12 months) after being examined by a therapist.

If, nevertheless, the tick was able to bite its victim, then you should carefully remove the parasite and go to the infectious diseases hospital for research on tick-borne encephalitis infection. Remember that the serum is effective only during the first 24 hours after the bite, so you should not postpone the visit to the doctor and wait for unpleasant symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis. Believe me, after their appearance, it will be much more difficult to get rid of the disease.

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The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!