Mite of the forest. The tick bite is treated. How to deal with a forest mite

One of the dangers that a person can undergo while going for a walk into the forest is a tick bite. In itself, an unpleasant encounter with this insect does not cause harm. But it's not worth forgetting that the forest mite is a carrier of such a dangerous disease as encephalitis. Therefore, going to nature, you should know what to do if you are bitten by this insect. So, we suggest today to find out about what this tiny but dangerous creature is, and how to deal with forest mites.

What is this insect?

The main problem in the fight against the tick is that it has very small dimensions. As a result, a person does not feel that a dangerous insect has crawled onto his body. Thus, the length of the latter, as a rule, does not exceed three to four millimeters. However, when the insect has "done its job" and got drunk on our blood, its magnitude increases many times. The way a forest mite looks like, we all probably know. But once again to remind about it will be superfluous. So, basically the body of this insect consists of a slightly flattened abdomen. As a rule, it is painted black or brown. Sometimes it has a red border. Head with proboscis very small. They are quite difficult to consider with the naked eye. Since forest ticks, photos of which we have known since childhood, belong to the class of arachnids, they have eight tenacious claws that allow insects to easily climb the body of a man or an animal, reaching up to the "tidbit" piece.

The habitat of forest mites

The European forest mite, as it follows from its name, occurs almost everywhere in Europe, with the exception of the northern, northeastern, southeastern and southwestern parts. In addition, there are three not so large isolates of this insect: the Caucasus-Front Asian, the Crimean, and also the north-western part of Africa.

As a rule, a forest mite occurs in dark and humid wooded areas. These insects hide in the grass, low bush, dense undergrowth. By the way, many believe that mites can fall on a person or an animal from trees. In fact, this is not so, because these insects almost never rise to a height of more than half a meter. However, getting on the body of the victim, the mite activates and deftly climbs up, getting to the most "tasty" in his opinion sites.

When should you be afraid of a tick bite?

For most of their habitat, these insects are active from mid-May to the middle or end of June. Also mites can be dangerous in late summer - early autumn. Therefore, in these periods, you should carefully examine yourself and your clothes after returning from a walk in nature.

Than the tick is dangerous?

Despite its tiny size and painless bite, these insects are very dangerous. First of all, this is due to the fact that forest mites serve as carriers of viral tick-borne encephalitis and tick-borne borreliosis. In addition, in more rare cases, these insects can be carriers of pathogens of such dangerous diseases as fever, lyus, erisipeloid, tularemia and paroxysmal rickettsiosis. Therefore, if a tick is found on his body or a trace from his bite should immediately seek medical help in order to protect yourself from the serious consequences of possible diseases.

Where does the tick bite?

Having fallen on the body of a person or animal, a mite of the forest can spend several hours searching for a suitable place for a bite. Most often, these insects choose areas with a delicate skin (neck, inguinal region, head, etc.), since the capillaries here are located closer to the surface. Therefore, when examining yourself for a tick bite, pay the most attention to the listed areas of the body.

What does the tick tick look like?

As we already mentioned, it's almost impossible to notice that you were bitten by a forest mite. First of all, this is due to the tiny size of the insect. And besides, when the tick pierces the jaws in the skin, it excrete saliva, which possesses the properties of an anesthetic. Having bitten the skin, this creation with the help of its proboscis sucked to the capillaries and begins to suck blood. If you do not find a freshly attached mite, after examining yourself and your clothes after walking, you will later find it when the abdomen of the insect is several times larger in size due to the blood drunk.

But how to recognize if a bite occurred if the insect has not yet become noticeable? This is not difficult at all. So, at the site of a bite, you may notice a slight reddening, in the center of which will be a tiny corpuscle bug, reminiscent of a splinter from afar.

The tick was bitten - what to do?

So, if you find a bite of this insect, then the first thing you need to extract it from the skin. This is not so easy to do, as it might seem, due to the fact that such tiny, but dangerous mites distinguish a special sticky substance by means of which the proboscis's bug is firmly attached to the wound made by it. It is this feature that creates certain difficulties in extracting an insect.

How to remove the tick?

In order to pull this insect out of the skin, it is necessary first to carefully shake its body from side to side in order to destroy the sticky mass isolated by it. In doing so, be sure to remember that when extracting the tick, in no case should it be allowed to keep its proboscis inside. After all, it is the source of infection. Therefore, do not use sharp tweezers for these purposes, since you will simply bite off the insect body, and the head with the proboscis will remain inside the wound.

So, when you slightly loosened the mite, try to grab it closer to the head and gently pull up. Most likely, you will get to pull out the insect completely. But if, despite all the efforts, the proboscis remains inside, there is no need to try to somehow extract it. Just treat this site with a green, and in a few days it will come out himself.

I would also like to note that the popular opinion that a mite will get out of the wound itself, if it is oiled with oil, alcohol or some other substance, is just a myth. In fact, it is possible to extract this insect from the skin only in the manner described above.

Should I see a doctor after a tick bite?

In case you have extracted a tick from your body, it is recommended to keep this insect, placing it in a box or a jar, and carry it to the analysis in the hospital. In the laboratory, doctors will find out whether he is a carrier of pathogens of a disease.

But what if you did not keep the insect's body for one reason or another? If you are very worried about the possible consequences, you can immediately seek medical help. After all, if you are bitten by an infected tick, it is better to begin treatment as early as possible. However, in view of the fact that such infections are rare, it makes sense to observe the site of the bite for a few days. So, if you see a pink spot in the first two or three days, then you should not worry - this is quite a normal reaction, and very soon there will be no trace left of it. But if the stain does not come off or even grows in size, then there is no need to wait any longer: it is necessary to get to the infectious disease doctor as soon as possible, who will examine you and prescribe certain tests. However, even if the test results do not show you the presence of infection, you should carefully monitor your condition for another month. In the case of the appearance of the slightest signs of encephalitis or another disease, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis

Often, this disease is masked for a cold or a common malaise. Also, often the symptoms of encephalitis begin to appear only 30 days after infection. These include the following states:

- weakness in the neck, as well as in the hands and feet;

- fever. Often the heat can not be knocked down for several days.

- the appearance and intensification of headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness;

- development of photophobia, the appearance of hallucinations, stunning consciousness;

- numbness of the limbs, weakness and pain in the muscles, the occurrence of seizures, epileptic seizures and even paralysis.

Symptoms of tick borreliosis

As a rule, in the first 20 days after infection, any symptoms of the disease are absent. But after that some signs can appear:

- The stain from the bite changes color and increases in size.

- Appearance of nausea and vomiting. The onset of heat and joint pain.

- Appearance on the body of characteristic spots, rashes, knots.

- Violation of cardiac activity, development of muscle weakness and cramps.

- After a few months after infection, there may be a disturbance in the work of the nervous system.

How to deal with forest mites?

In order to protect themselves and their loved ones from the bites of these small insects, which can cause very dangerous consequences, planning to travel to nature, a number of rules should be observed. So, it's best to choose tight-fitting body clothes with narrow elastic bands that tighten wrists and ankles. Also, do not neglect the hood or at least a kerchief or bandana. In addition, it perfectly saves thermal mites from ticks, tightly fitting our skin. In addition, it makes sense to use one of the many tools designed to scare off ticks and other insects. Moreover, today they are almost universally available. It is also recommended regularly, and best of all, every hour, to inspect yourself and your companions for availability on their clothing or body ticks. All of the above-mentioned means of prevention in general do not guarantee you rescue from these dangerous insects, but reduce the probability of meeting with them to a minimum.