It's that time of year again--warm weather, tons of outdoor activities in the sun and...ticks! Yes, that's right; it is tick season here in Europe. Tick season normally lasts from March until October, depending on the temperature. The peak of tick season, though, is the months of June and July.
Tick-borne diseases are some of the most common vector-borne diseases transmitted to humans each year in Europe. The most significant pathogens in our region are Borrelia spp., which is the causative agent of Lyme disease, and Tick-borne Encephalitis Virus, the second pathogen transmitted by ticks in this geographical region. One key note about Lyme disease in Europe is that 45 percent of infected people never develop the hallmark bull's-eye rash (erythema migrans). Infected ticks have to attach and remain on an individual for 24 to 48 hours in order to transmit most diseases.
To help prevent tick bites, it is best to recognize tick habitats and avoid them when possible. Ticks need layered shade and moist air, so they prefer to stay along the forest edge in shady, tall grass or bushy areas. If you manage to find yourself, or any of your family members--to include pets, in these types of areas, here are a few simple tips for tick bite prevention:
• Wear protective clothing (long sleeves and pants treated with permethrin, if possible)
• Use insect repellents containing DEET on exposed skin
• Perform routine tick checks
• Leave your shoes outside and wash clothes as soon as possible. Ticks may survive on clothes in the washing machine, but a hot cycle in the dryer will kill the tick.
If you do happen to locate a feeding tick, prompt and proper removal is the key to reducing the risk of disease transmission. Ticks should be removed using tweezers, pulling back slowly and steadily with firm force in the reverse direction from which the mouthparts are inserted, similar to removing a splinter. Don't burn the tick, use soap, gasoline, Vaseline or any other ill-advised method that you may find mentioned online. Slow, gentle traction is the key.
Once the tick is removed, cleanse the bite area with alcohol and apply antibiotic ointment. Most tick bites may cause skin irritation at the feeding site, but this doesn't indicate disease transmission. Ticks that have been removed from people should be saved for identification and testing. Military personnel and DOD civilians should place the tick in a sealed ziplock bag and take it to their local military medical treatment facility (or veterinary treatment facility for pets). The facility will then mail the tick to the U.S. Army Public Health Command Europe Entomological Science Division for identification. If the ticks are identified as possible disease carriers, they will be sent over to the PHC-Europe Laboratory Sciences Division for testing. All results from, tick identification to the laboratory testing (if warranted), are sent back to the medical/veterinary clinics that submitted them to PHC-Europe.
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