312 persons with tick bites visited the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance Center in Bishkek on June 3.
Immunoglobulin was provided to 19 of them, according to the sources. There have been five cases of tick-borne encephalitis documented among the city's residents.
Tick-borne encephalitis is a dangerous virus that affects and damages the central nervous system. The disorder can have a variety of outcomes, ranging from complete recovery to health issues that lead to disability and death.
How can one get infected?
Within minutes of sucking a tick infected with the virus, the disease's main agent (arbovirus) is transmitted to a human via anaesthetized saliva.
- When ticks are spread by animals (dogs, cats) or humans on clothing, flowers, and other items (infection of those who do not enter the forest).
- when a tick is crushed and the virus is injected into the skin of the biting site;
- as well as drinking raw milk from tick-infested goats, lambs, cows, or buffaloes, which may carry the virus.
When removing a tick, keep the following conditions in mind:
- tie a thread around the tick's proboscis and gently swing the threads' ends out, being careful not to injure the tick;
- use any acceptable treatment to clean the bite site (70 percent alcohol, 5% iodine, scent);
- deliver the tick to Bishkek's Central State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service, St. Baytik Batyr 36, room 203, tel. 51-10-16.
It's also worth recalling that both non-specific and specific prophylaxis can help prevent tick-borne encephalitis.