The fact that ticks fall on us from trees is a myth. Firstly, they simply can not climb so high, and secondly, they have nothing to do there. Ticks live in the grass and on low bushes. They cling to our trousers, skirts and jackets, and then deftly crawl upstairs, searching for a convenient place to tightly suck. The mites have their favorite places for bites. And in children and adults, they vary - most likely, due to the difference in growth. For example, in children, mites are most often found on the head, especially behind the ears. The tick bite itself is not terrible. It causes only redness, itching and a slight swelling in the wound area. But the infections that get into the blood of a person with a bite with the tick saliva or when it is squashed are very dangerous. The most terrible disease that is transmitted through the tick bite is tick-borne encephalitis, which affects the central nervous system and causes paralysis (the first symptoms appear in two weeks after bite) and borreliosis or Lyme disease. This disease does not die, but it gives dangerous complications to the heart and joints.
Photo: GettyImagesHow to protect the baby?First of all, choose for walking a wide path. Stay away from those places where you need to move branches of trees and make your way through the bushes. During the walk and after it, carefully examine each other and children, especially the exposed areas of the skin and head. And when you get home, carefully remove all clothes in the bathroom and shake it off: parasites can catch on a jacket or trousers, and you will bring them to your house. Olga Ivanova, epidemiologist:
- The best way to protect against tick-borne infectionsvaccination is considered. But children under the age of 2 are not vaccinated, and older children can be vaccinated only after a medical examination and only if they were absolutely healthy for a month. And this is usually difficult. Therefore, this method of protection for children is of little use. Anti-mite repellents remain. Remember that such remedies do not exist for children under 3-5 years old, because all anti-mite remedies are very toxic and are contraindicated for babies at this age. And do not forget that it is worth treating not only clothes, but also strollers with tick repellents. The most popular tick repellents for children are considered "Off! Extreme ”,“ DEFI-Taiga ”,“ Biban ”and“ Moskitol anti-mite ”. They should be applied only on clothes: apply, let dry, and then just put these clothes on a child. It must be remembered that drugs have their own duration, during which they are effective. Then the processing must be repeated. Please note that in wet weather, and even more so in the rain, the duration of such drugs is greatly shortened. And sometimes the remedy may not be effective at all. Folk remedies for ticks Ticks cannot tolerate the odors of some plants, so you can use their essential oils. The most effective: essential oils of geranium, palmarosa, cloves, rosemary, lavender, mint, menthol.To prepare your own remedy for ticks, take 2 tablespoons of vegetable base oil and add 20 drops of one of the listed essential oils (several at once). With this mixture or just an essential oil, it is necessary to treat the edges of clothing and open areas of the skin. It is best to use a finger soaked in oil over the selected areas. This procedure must be carried out every 1.5 or 2 hours. Such a means of protection will be much safer for the child, but, unfortunately, it will not give 100% protection either. But, you see, it's better than nothing.
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- Wear both baby and light clothing - so it will be easier to notice the tick and shake it off in time.
- In the forest it is more practical to walk not in a frivolousT-shirt, and in a light turtleneck or blouse with long sleeves. If clothes are on clasps, the ideal option is lightning, not buttons, velcro or buttons.
- Pants tuck into socks, now not to beauty. Handle the top of the socks and the lower part of the trousers tucked into the socks. It is also advisable to treat sleeves cuffs.
- Wearing a headdress is not even discussed: caps, hoods, kerchiefs - an indispensable attribute of a country walk.
- Do not leave your neck or head open. If it is hot in clothes with a high neck, tie a toe to the neck of the kerchief, so that the tick rising on the back can not bite into the neck and the back of the head.
- If the child runs on the grass almost naked or naked, inspect it every 20 minutes. The tick does not stick right away, it crawls up for a long time, and it's easier to see a tick on a naked child.
- All means of ticks apply only to clothing! Ticks need to crawl 10 cm along the poisoned tissue, so that the agent will act.
What if the mite sucked?Ideally - immediately go to a medical institution to remove the tick in the same place and process the wound. If there is no way to go to the hospital, take the mite yourself. Carefully take the parasite with tweezers for the protruding part and rotate 90 degrees counterclockwise, while twisting it vertically upwards. Try to remove the mite completely. Place the suction site with alcohol or iodine and seal with a bactericidal plaster. If possible, lubricate this area with tetracycline or levomycetin ointment. Then all the same, show your doctor. Well, you need to send the tick to the laboratory. If it turns out that he is suffering an infection, an injection of an immunoglobulin administered within three days after a bite will help to avoid dangerous consequences. First symptoms It may be that the tick sucked a child, but did not stick - it was brushed off. But this is enough to give the infection to the baby. Follow him: if suddenly a perspiration begins in the throat, cough, runny nose, temperature, you should immediately consult a doctor and be sure to tell him that all these signs appeared after a walk in the forest. Also useful to know:
