2023-06-28 19:25:06
Beware of ticks during walks! Diseases transmitted by the bites of these small arachnids explode between the months of May and August. The RTS takes stock of the number of cases and the precautions to be taken.
It measures only a few millimeters and yet, from the top of its eight tiny legs, it nibbles year after year a little more territory in Switzerland. To the point that the country has recorded more than 14,000 tick bites per year since 2017. This situation could even worsen since the period of activity of ticks increases due to global warming. Recently, we see the appearance of bites even at the very beginning and end of the year.
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A disease vector
This slow colonization of Swiss forests and meadows is not insignificant, since the ugly parasite carries with it potentially dangerous diseases for humans: the main ones are tick-borne meningoencephalitis (FSME) and borreliosis, better known as the name Lyme disease (see also box).
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FSME has been subject to mandatory reporting since 1988. The development of the number of cases is therefore closely monitored by the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP). If the risk of contracting the disease remains low (less than 1% of cases of bites), there is a vaccine, strongly recommended in Switzerland, which makes it possible to guard against the development of meningitis and its fatal complications.
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No vaccine against borreliosis
Lyme disease, on the other hand, is not subject to any reporting obligation, and the FOPH specialists therefore rely on an extrapolation of the number of cases. After the peaks of 2018 and 2020, the number of extrapolated cases for 2023 is currently similar to that of previous years. Nevertheless, the risk of contracting borreliosis remains higher than for FSME.
Switzerland is now considered a risk area for the transmission of this bacterial infection with sometimes serious consequences and against which there is no vaccine. But if the infection is detected in time, it can be treated with antibiotics.
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Focus on prevention
Besides vaccination, the best way to avoid complications from bites is prevention. For walks and hikes, pants should be preferred to shorts, if possible with socks over the garment, because insects more often nest halfway up, on tall grass or shrubs, and can take advantage of the slightest piece of skin available.
After the ride, it is essential to check whether or not the parasite is present by examining yourself from head to toe, particularly on the head, behind the ears or knees and more broadly in the folds of skin or moist areas of the body. .
Pharmacists recommend anti-tick spray, especially for children, but also the purchase of tick tweezers. This kind of tiny spatula makes it possible to remove the bloodsucking insect with less risk of tearing off its head, which is then difficult to extract.
Finally, if despite all these precautions a tick settles, after having dislodged it correctly, you must monitor the area for a few days. If the bite swells, if a reddish ring forms around it or in the event of symptoms similar to those of the flu, it is imperative to contact a doctor as soon as possible: there is probably an infection.
Cecile Denayrouse
1687992363
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