1 signs of encephalitis after how many times it manifests itself. What are the symptoms of an encephalitis tick bite in humans? The disease is divided into two categories.

Tick-borne encephalitis is an acute viral disease of the nervous system. Its main sources are ixodid ticks of two types - taiga and European forest ticks. The peak incidence of encephalitis occurs in spring (May-June) and late summer and early autumn (August-September).

Tick-borne encephalitis is sometimes called differently - spring-summer, taiga, Siberian, Russian. Synonyms arose due to the characteristics of the disease. Spring-summer, because the peak incidence occurs during the warm season, when ticks are most active. The first peak of the disease is recorded in May-June, the second at the end of summer.

If bitten by an encephalitis tick, then the virus enters the bloodstream already in the first minutes of contact. According to statistics, the carriers of the virus are six out of a hundred ticks (at the same time, from 2 to 6% of bitten people can get sick from an infected individual).

The causative agent of tick-borne encephalitis is an RNA-containing virus belonging to the Vlaviviridae family. There are 3 types of the virus:

Far East - the most virulent (can cause severe forms of the disease);
Siberian - less contagious;
Western - the causative agent of two-wave encephalitis - causes mild forms of the disease.

Ixodid tick bite is the main cause of occurrence. Due to the defeat of the body by a natural focal viral infection, dangerous for the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, the disease occurs with meningitis and meningoencephalitis.

There are known cases of infection with human tick-borne encephalitis after drinking milk from tick-infected domestic animals. Therefore, you can only drink pasteurized or boiled milk.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus features a weak resistance to high temperatures, disinfectants and ultraviolet radiation. So, when boiled, it dies after 2 minutes and cannot persist in the environment in hot sunny weather. However, at low temperatures, it is able to maintain its viability for a long time.

Incubation period

During a tick bite, part of the viruses begins to multiply in the subcutaneous tissue and tissue macrophages, another part of them enters the bloodstream and penetrates into the vascular endothelium, lymph nodes, parenchymal organs, into the tissues of the central nervous system, where they intensively multiply and accumulate. Treatment of tick-borne encephalitis is carried out with the use of many groups of drugs that affect the virus itself and all links of the pathological process.

Sometimes fulminant forms of tick-borne encephalitis are diagnosed (the first symptoms appear within a day) and protracted - the incubation period can include up to 30 days.

You should know that a patient with tick-borne encephalitis is not dangerous to others, since it is not contagious.

On average, the incubation period is 1-3 weeks, since the forms of development of the disease are different:

Lightning fast. With her, the initial symptoms appear already on the first day.
Protracted. In this case, the duration of the incubation period can be about a month, sometimes even slightly longer.

Tick-borne encephalitis symptoms

Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral infection that occurs at first under the guise of a common cold. It can pass unnoticed by the patient, and can cause severe damage to the nervous system.

After a tick bite, the virus multiplies in the tissues, penetrates the lymph nodes and blood. When the virus multiplies and enters the bloodstream, flu-like symptoms form.

The disease often begins with the following symptoms:

an increase in body temperature up to 39-40 C and with chills characteristic of this state,
severe pain in the lower back and limbs,
pain in the eyeballs,
general weakness
nausea and vomiting
consciousness is preserved, however, lethargy, drowsiness, symptoms of stunnedness are present.

When the virus enters the membranes of the brain, and then into the substance of the brain, symptoms of violations of its activity (neurological) appear:

feeling of goose bumps, touching the skin;
skin sensitivity disorders;
violations of muscle movements (first, mimic, then the ability to voluntarily make movements of the arms and legs is lost);
convulsive seizures are possible.

Later, violations may be noted:

cardiovascular system (myocarditis, cardiovascular failure, arrhythmia),
digestive system - stool retention, enlarged liver and spleen.

All of these symptoms are noted against the background of toxic damage to the body - an increase in body temperature to 39-40 degrees C.

The most common and noticeable signs of an encephalitis tick:

transient weakness of the limbs;
weakness of the muscle tissues of the cervical spine;
feeling of numbness of the facial and cervical skin.

The outcome of tick-borne encephalitis is in the form of three main options:

recovery with gradual long-term recovery;
the transition of the disease to a chronic form;
death of a person infected with tick-borne encephalitis.

After being bitten by a tick infected with the encephalitis virus, it is necessary to carry out emergency prophylaxis within 3 days.

Tick-borne encephalitis forms

Currently, the following forms of the disease are distinguished:

Febrile form of tick-borne encephalitis

Tick-borne encephalitis in this form proceeds with a predominance of a febrile state, which can last from 2 to 10 days. The most common manifestations are headache, weakness and nausea. At the same time, neurological symptoms are not significantly expressed.

Meningeal

Meningeal, which proceeds relatively favorably. It begins, like any other manifestation, with the phenomena of intoxication of the body:

weakness,
increase in body temperature,
sweating

Then symptoms of brain damage join (occipital headaches, vomiting, fear of light and impaired reflexes). Typical symptoms appear within two to three weeks.

Meningoencephalitic

For meningoencephalitis, a two-wave temperature reaction is characteristic. Each wave lasts from 2 to 7 days. At intervals of 1-2 weeks. The first wave passes with general toxic symptoms, and the second with meningeal and cerebral symptoms. The course of this form is favorable, there is a quick recovery and no complications.

Poliomyelitis form

It is observed in 30% of patients. It begins with a general lethargy of the whole organism, which is observed for 1-2 days. Accompanied by the following signs:

weakness in the limbs, which can subsequently lead to numbness;
pain in the neck is characteristic;
all violations described in the previous forms are possible;
the ability to keep the head in an upright position is lost;
loss of movement in the arms.

Motor pathologies progress over 1-1.5 weeks. From the beginning of the second to the end of the third week, the muscles begin to atrophy.

Polyradiculoneuritic form

It is rarely observed, in no more than 4% of cases. In addition to the symptoms of meningitis, with the development of this variant of the course of tick-borne encephalitis, there are pronounced paresthesias (tingling) in the extremities and strong sensitivity in the area of the fingers. Sensitivity in the central parts of the body is impaired.

As you can see, the signs of this disease can be completely different. Some of the forms of encephalitis are difficult to diagnose. That is why it is extremely important to consult a doctor on time, preferably even before the appearance of disorders from the nervous system.

Signs of tick-borne encephalitis in children

The main symptoms and signs of tick-borne encephalitis in children include:

the first sign of tick-borne encephalitis is a headache, expressed by an increase in body temperature;
sleep disorders;
disorders of the eyeball;
disorders of the vestibular apparatus.

The best measure for the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis in children and adults has been and remains vaccination. Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis is shown to everyone who lives in epidemic foci or stays in them.

Complications and possible consequences

The consequences of an encephalitis tick bite are not pleasant. You can endlessly enumerate what the encephalitis tick is dangerous and what its attack is fraught with.

Complications:

Memory impairment.
Headache.
Full or partial disturbances of movements and / or sensitivity in the limbs, mimic area.
Decrease in strength and volume of muscles (usually the upper shoulder girdle).

Diagnostics

The only answer to the question: what to do if suddenly bitten by an encephalitis tick is to deliver the patient as soon as possible to the address of the nearest infectious diseases hospital.

When making a diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis, it is necessary to take into account a combination of three factors:

clinical manifestations (symptoms),
epidemiological data (time of year, was the vaccine delivered, was there a tick bite)
laboratory tests (analysis of the tick itself - optional, blood test, analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, etc.).

I would especially like to note the fact that the virus can be found in the tick itself. That is, if you are bitten by a tick, then it must be delivered to a medical institution (if possible).

To accurately confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary to determine the specific antibodies:

immunoglobulin class M for encephalitis (IgM) - the presence indicates an acute infection,
IgG - the presence indicates contact with an infection in the past, or the formation of immunity.

If both antibodies are present, it is a current infection.

All patients with tick-borne encephalitis must be examined for simultaneous infection with both infections is possible.

Treatment

Antiencephalitis immunoglobulin therapy is considered an effective method of treatment for tick-borne encephalitis at an early stage of detection. Inactivated vaccine and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are also most useful for successful recovery. Timely vaccination and protection against ticks are effective methods of preventing the complex course of the disease.

Treatment is guided by the principle of symptom relief. Therefore, funds are mainly prescribed to maintain the body. It includes:

antipyretic,
detoxifying drugs,
vitamins,
drugs that normalize the body's water balance.

The patient is assigned strict bed rest. The specific treatment regimen depends on the time elapsed since the onset of the first symptoms.

Patients are discharged on days 14-21 of normal temperature. Dispensary observation is an infectious disease specialist and a neuropathologist for 1 year after a febrile form with an examination 1 time in 6 months. After other forms of the disease - 3 years with a quarterly examination.

Forecast

The meningeal and febrile form of the disease proceeds favorably in most cases. Meningoencephalitic, poliomyelitic and polyradiculoneuritic - significantly worse. Fatalities are 25-30%.

The consequence of the transferred tick-borne encephalitis can be memory loss, headaches, paralysis.

Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis

Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is carried out in two directions:

vaccination - the most reliable protection against tick-borne encephalitis are their own antibodies, which are produced in response to vaccination. Traditionally, they are held in advance in the autumn-winter period.
preventive measures (non-specific prophylaxis).

Preventive measures also include:

refusal to use dairy products that have not undergone heat treatment in the warm season;
timely vaccination (can be carried out both in the autumn-winter period, and within 4 days after the detection of a tick on yourself - for this, different types of vaccines are used);
wearing clothes that cover the body (it is better to get out into nature in clothes with long sleeves and in pants, the head should be covered with a cap);
timely access to a doctor if any insects are found (it is highly not recommended to remove ticks on your own);
use of repellent repellents;
after returning home, you need to take off all your clothes and immediately take a shower, then you need to carefully examine your clothes "from the forest" and your body for ticks.

If a tick has been found on the body that has burrowed into the skin, then immediately seek help from a medical professional - they will remove the insect and conduct an anti-brain vaccination.

Differently - meningoencephalitis... Thousands of cases of tick-borne encephalitis are recorded in Russia every year. In more 20% cases this so-called. spring sickness develops in children. The disease is infectious viral in nature. The virus enters the body by the hematogenous route (through the blood) after being bitten by an encephalitis tick (ixodid tick).

It affects the following body systems:

the central nervous system;
peripheral nervous system;
gray matter of the brain (polyencephalitis);
white matter of the brain (leukoencephalitis);
both substances at the same time (panencephalitis).

A person affected by encephalitis has a high risk of death, but even if a person still manages to survive, his existence turns into an everyday struggle. The patient loses most of his functions, falls into paralysis, becomes disabled.

Signs of encephalitis in a person after a bite

Signs of a particular disease can only be identified by a specialist when performing laboratory and clinical studies. This is the main difference between signs and symptoms of the disease, which are easily recognized by the patient himself.

To draw up a picture of the disease of tick-borne encephalitis, doctors resort to the following diagnostic methods:

puncture of the cerebrospinal fluid;
blood test;
x-ray;
biological study of the tick vector.

The presence of a neuroinfection causing encephalitis is signaled to doctors by the following signs:

ring-shaped changes in the MRI scan of the brain;
violation of cerebral circulation;
circulatory disorders in the neck, face, chest and mucous membranes of the mouth and nose;
changes in the composition of the cerebrospinal fluid;

The disease is divided into two categories:

primary (independent);
secondary (develops against the background of other pathologies).

According to the course, the ailment is classified into:

spicy;
subacute;
chronic (disability).

Symptoms

Primary the symptomatology of encephalitis is somewhat similar to the symptomatology of a cold (flu-like). It manifests itself in an acute form.

Fever and intoxication begins, which are accompanied by the classic symptoms of a cold:

Often, after a tick bite, a so-called. tick-borne erythema... The bite site actively turns red and increases in size, surrounded by an additional ring of a reddish hue. This symptom may signal other types of encephalitis (Lyme disease).

With the development of the disease, more severe symptoms can be traced. Neurological changes appear:

paralysis;
loss of consciousness;
coma;
speech disorders;
movement disorders;
epileptic seizures.

A person infected with the encephalitis virus quickly gets tired and does not sleep well, becomes sensitive to light. He may fall into a fever, which will be long lasting (up to 10 days). Cases of memory loss are also frequent.

How does encephalitis manifest?

Tick-borne encephalitis virus disrupts blood-brain barrier and thereby enters the central nervous system through the blood, destroys neurons, causes vascular disorders, and affects the spinal cord regions. Often, due to the similarity of the manifestation of diseases, encephalitis is confused with a pre-stroke condition.

Laboratory specialists can observe the following changes in the brain:

hyperemia of tissues;
edema of the substance of the brain;
infiltrates from brain cells;
punctate hemorrhages (vascular damage);
vasculitis (vascular inflammation);
the formation of necrotic foci;
the occurrence of fibrotic changes.

The manifestation of encephalitis is divided into several forms:

feverish(the acute form lasts up to 5 days and manifests itself in the form of headache, lethargy, fever, nausea);
meningeal(the most common form with symptoms of severe headaches, repeated vomiting, photophobia, dizziness; favorable course with recovery after 2-3 weeks);
meningoencephalitic(a more severe form with pathological changes in the work of consciousness, delirium and hallucinations, convulsions are observed);
polyencephalomyelitis(in the first days, general fatigue is noted, there is a violation of movement with muscle twitching, numbness of the limbs, control over the body is lost, muscle pain is felt, for 3 weeks the symptoms develop into muscle atrophy and loss of movement);
polyradiculoneuritic(violation of sensitivity, pain along the nerve pathways, tingling sensations are felt, paralysis of the lower sections, lumbar and shoulder girdles develops).

How long does encephalitis manifest?

Ticks, whether female or male, regardless of the time they stay in the human body, infect the virus immediately after the bite... The longer the pathogen is not removed, the higher the risk of more pathogen entering the bloodstream.

Does encephalitis appear quickly?

The disease has a certain incubation period (from 8 to 20 days). Its duration depends on the number of bites and the geographic area of the tick's habitat (the Far East and the Urals are the most dangerous regions).

There are cases when the virus manifested itself on the very first day, and sometimes you had to wait a whole month. Already after 2 days after a bite, a virus is found in the brain tissues. After 4 days the concentration of pathogens in the gray matter becomes maximum.

What to do with a tick bite?

If you stripped naked after going into the forest, examined your body and found a tick stuck into your skin in some area, then you need to take a number of measures:

The most common tick bite areas are:

armpits;
inner thighs;

Unfortunately, emergency therapy is only effective in 60% cases. Therefore, it is advisable not to allow a bite at all. To do this, each person is obliged to follow simple recommendations, especially if he often goes to nature and goes to the forest.

These measures include:

Putting on a special protective suit... The overalls fit snugly to the body and are fully tucked in. The fabric of such a suit is impregnated with an insect repellent solution. There is a protective hood and cuffs, as well as mite traps (special inserts that prevent the tick from moving along the body).
Take a shower. Mites are susceptible to the smell of sweat. To avoid attracting them to you, wash before going out and use an antiperspirant.
The use of repellents (insect repellents). Spray your protective suit with a mite spray before going into the forest. Do not apply the drug to the body. Make sure that the aerosol does not get on the mucous membrane of the mouth or nose.
Vaccinate against tick-borne encephalitis... In many cities of Siberia, school-age children are forcibly vaccinated against this virus. The vaccine is injected under the scapula or in the shoulder. The procedure is recommended for children from 4 years of age and older (imported vaccines are allowed from the age of twelve months). Revaccination is carried out every 3-5 years. Vaccination protects 95% of the time.

Signs of the consequences of an encephalitis tick bite

The disease leads to psychiatric and neurological consequences.

After a tick bite, the following diseases can develop:

Encephalomyelitis. Destruction of the myelin sheath. It is accompanied by hemiparesis, ataxia, parkinsonism, oculomotor disorders, impaired consciousness.
Myelitis. Spinal cord inflammation. It manifests itself in the form of weakness, fever with chills, back pain, numbness of the limbs, loss of sensitivity.
Meningitis. Inflammation of the lining of the brain. Symptoms are fever, severe prolonged headache, vomiting, lethargy.
Epilepsy... Convulsive seizures without loss of consciousness.

Encephalitis is accompanied by the following complications:

memory loss;
decreased intelligence;
disorder of motor functions;
disorder of speech function;
anorexia.

Conclusion

Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral disease that has no cure. The patient is prescribed supportive therapy aimed at combating recurring symptoms and ensuring his adaptation in society.

It is important to remember that:

the encephalitis virus is carried by ticks;
the virus enters the bloodstream immediately after the bite, and into the membranes of the brain on the second day;
symptoms of the disease occur in the form of fever;
destructive processes in the brain caused by the virus lead to loss of coordination of movement, paralysis, memory impairment, death;
after the bite, it is necessary to remove the insect from the body and send it for laboratory analysis;
to prevent infection, it is necessary to vaccinate, wear protective suits, use tick repellents.

29.09.2016

Everyone is afraid of tick bites, because everyone knows about the possible dangerous consequences of such a short-term meeting with a blood-sucking insect. In addition to an unpleasant sensation, a tick bite threatens to become infected with a viral infection - tick-borne encephalitis, the outcome of which is very sad.

What is this infection - tick-borne encephalitis virus? How does the disease caused by it manifest? Is it possible to cure this disease and what complications threaten the patient? What does the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis consist of?

What is tick-borne encephalitis

Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral natural focal infection that is transmitted after tick bites and mainly affects the central nervous system. The causative agent of tick-borne encephalitis belongs to the Flavivirus family of viruses, which are transmitted by arthropods.

This disease has many clinical manifestations. Scientists have long tried to study the disease, but only in the first half of the 20th century (in 1935) were they able to identify the causative agent of tick-borne encephalitis. A little later, it was possible to fully describe the virus, the diseases it causes, and how the human body reacts to it.

This virus has the following features:

it reproduces in vectors, the mite is a reservoir in nature;
the tick-borne encephalitis virus is tropen, or, in other words, tends to the nervous tissue;
active reproduction begins in the spring-summer period from the moment of "awakening" of ticks and tick-borne encephalitis;
the virus does not live long without a host, it is quickly destroyed by ultraviolet radiation;
when heated to 60 ° C, it is destroyed in 10 minutes, boiling kills the pathogen of tick-borne encephalitis in just two minutes;
he does not like chlorine-containing solutions and lysol.

How does tick-borne encephalitis become infected?

Ixodid ticks are the main reservoir and source of infection. How does the tick-borne encephalitis virus enter the insect's body? 5-6 days after the bite of an infected animal in a natural focus, the pathogen penetrates into all organs of the tick and concentrates mainly in the reproductive and digestive systems, salivary glands. There, the virus remains for the entire life cycle of the insect, which is from two to four years. And all this time, after being bitten by a tick of an animal or person, tick-borne encephalitis is transmitted.

Absolutely every inhabitant of the area where outbreaks of infection are observed can become infected. These statistics are disappointing for humans.

Depending on the region, the number of infected ticks ranges from 1-3% to 15-20%.
Any animals can be a natural reservoir of infection: hedgehogs, moles, chipmunks, squirrels and voles, and about 130 other mammalian species.
According to epidemiological data, tick-borne encephalitis is widespread from Central Europe to Eastern Russia.
Some bird species are also possible vectors - hazel grouses, finches, blackbirds.
There are known cases of infection with human tick-borne encephalitis after drinking milk from tick-infected domestic animals.
The first peak of the disease is recorded in May-June, the second at the end of summer.

Ways of transmission of tick-borne encephalitis: transmissible, during a bite by an infected tick, and alimentary - after eating contaminated foods.

The action of the tick-borne encephalitis virus in the human body

The place of frequent localization of the causative agent of the disease in the body of the insect is the digestive system, the reproductive apparatus and the salivary glands. How does the tick-borne encephalitis virus behave after it enters the human body? The pathogenesis of tick-borne encephalitis can be described as follows.

During the course, the disease is conditionally divided into several periods. The initial phase proceeds without visible clinical manifestations. Further, the phase of neurological changes begins. It is characterized by typical clinical manifestations of the disease with damage to all parts of the nervous system.

The outcome of tick-borne encephalitis is in the form of three main options:

recovery with gradual long-term recovery;
the transition of the disease to a chronic form;
death of a person infected with tick-borne encephalitis.

The first signs of tick-borne encephalitis

The first days are the easiest and at the same time dangerous with the development of the disease. Lungs - since there are no clinical manifestations of the disease yet, there is no hint of the development of infection. Dangerous - because due to the lack of obvious signs, time can be lost and encephalitis will develop with full force.

The incubation period of tick-borne encephalitis sometimes reaches 21 days, but on average lasts from 10 days to two weeks. If the virus enters through contaminated products, it is shortened and is only a few days (no more than 7).

In approximately 15% of cases, after a short incubation period, prodromal phenomena are observed, but they are nonspecific, it is difficult to suspect this particular disease from them.

The first signs of tick-borne encephalitis appear:

weakness and fatigue;
various options for sleep disturbance;
a feeling of numbness of the skin of the face or trunk may develop;
one of the common signs of tick-borne encephalitis is various variants of radicular pain, in other words, unrelated pain appears along the course of the nerves extending from the spinal cord - in the arms, legs, in the area of the shoulders and other parts;
already at this stage of tick-borne encephalitis, mental disorders are possible, when an absolutely healthy person begins to behave unusually.

Tick-borne encephalitis symptoms

From the moment the tick-borne encephalitis virus enters the blood, the symptoms of the disease become more pronounced.

During examination of a person, the doctor discovers the following changes in the condition:

in the acute period of tick-borne encephalitis, the face, skin of the neck and body are reddened, the eyes are injected (hyperemic);
blood pressure decreases, the heartbeat becomes rare, changes appear on the cardiogram, indicating a violation of conduction;
during the height of tick-borne encephalitis, breathing becomes more frequent and shortness of breath appears at rest, sometimes doctors register signs of developing pneumonia;
the tongue is coated with a white coating, as with a lesion of the digestive system, bloating and constipation appear.

Forms of tick-borne encephalitis course

Depending on the location of the pathogen in the central nervous system of a person, various symptoms of the course of the disease may appear. An experienced manifestation specialist can guess which area of the nervous system has been attacked by the virus.

There are various forms of tick-borne encephalitis.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis, as a rule, is delayed due to the blurred initial clinical picture. Patients in the first days of the disease complain of general symptoms, so the doctor directs the person to general clinical examinations.

What can be found in a general blood test? The level of neutrophils in the blood rises and the ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) is accelerated. It is already possible to suspect about brain damage. Along with this, there is a decrease in glucose in the blood test, and protein appears in the urine. But on the basis of only these analyzes, it is still difficult to draw a conclusion about the presence of any disease.

Other research methods help to finally determine the diagnosis.

The virological method for detecting tick-borne encephalitis is the detection or isolation of the virus from the blood or cerebrospinal fluid during the first week of the disease, followed by infection of laboratory mice.
More accurate and rapid serological blood tests of RSK, ELISA, RPGA, take paired blood serum of a sick person with an interval of 2-3 weeks.

It is important to fully collect information about the development of the disease before starting the examination. Already at this stage, a diagnosis can be assumed.

The consequences of tick-borne encephalitis

Recovery from tick-borne encephalitis can be lengthy over several months.

The European form of the disease is an exception, the cure occurs quickly without minimal residual effects, but late initiation of treatment can complicate the disease and in 1–2% of cases is fatal.

As for other forms of the disease, the prognosis here is not so favorable. The fight against the consequences sometimes lasts from three weeks to four months.

The consequences of tick-borne encephalitis in humans include all kinds of neurological and psychiatric complications. They are observed in 10–20% of cases. For example, if during the course of the disease a person had a decrease in immunity, this will lead to persistent paresis and paralysis.

In practice, there were lightning-fast forms of tick-borne encephalitis, leading to lethal complications during the first days of the onset of the disease. The number of deaths ranges from 1 to 25%, depending on the option. The Far Eastern type of the disease is accompanied by the maximum number of irreversible consequences and deaths.

In addition to the severe course and unusual forms of the disease, there are complications of tick-borne encephalitis related to other organs and systems:

pneumonia;
heart failure.

Sometimes there is a recurrent course of the disease.

Treatment

Tick-borne encephalitis is one of the most severe ailments, its course is never mild and is almost always accompanied by numerous symptoms. Treatment of tick-borne encephalitis is complicated by the lack of drugs that could affect the pathogen. That is, there are no specific drugs that can kill this virus.

Treatment is guided by the principle of symptom relief. Therefore, funds are mainly prescribed to maintain the body:

use hormonal drugs or glucocorticosteroids as an anti-shock treatment for tick-borne encephalitis and to combat respiratory failure;
to relieve seizures, magnesium preparations and sedatives are prescribed;
for detoxification, an isotonic solution and glucose are used;
after the acute phase of tick-borne encephalitis subsides, B vitamins, antihistamines are used.

And also against tick-borne encephalitis, human immunoglobulin is used. It is obtained from the blood plasma of donors. Timely administration of this medication contributes to an easy course of the disease and a quick recovery.

Immunoglobulin is used according to the following scheme:

the drug is prescribed from 3 to 12 ml for the first three days;
in the case of a severe course of the disease, immunoglobulin is used twice a day with an interval of 12 hours, 6–12 ml each, after three days the drug is used only once;
if the body temperature rises again, the drug is prescribed again in the same dose.

Disease prevention

Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is non-specific and specific. The first reduces the likelihood of contact with the carrier of the infection:

in order not to become infected with tick-borne encephalitis, you need to reduce the likelihood of tick sucking during walks in nature from April to June, that is, use repellents;
when working in nature in foci of spread of infection, it is recommended to wear closed clothes even in summer, to cover open areas of the body as much as possible;
after returning from the forest, it is necessary to carefully examine the clothes and ask someone close to examine the body;
a nonspecific measure for the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis in one's own area is mowing tall grass in spring and summer, using chemicals to scare away ticks.

What to do if a tick was found after walking on the body? It is necessary to remove it as soon as possible, so the likelihood of the pathogen entering the human blood will decrease. It is recommended not to throw the insect away, but to bring it to the laboratory and conduct an analysis for tick-borne encephalitis. In a hospital or a paid laboratory, a blood-sucking insect is examined for the presence of a pathogen. A method of infecting laboratory animals with a virus isolated from a tick is used. Even a small fragment is enough to make a diagnosis. And they also use a faster method for examining an insect - PCR diagnostics. If the presence of the pathogen in the tick is established, the person is urgently sent for emergency prevention of the disease.

There are two main ways to protect a person from the development of an ailment: on an emergency basis and in a planned manner.

Emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is carried out after contact with a tick. It can be started even before the fact of establishing the infection of the insect. Immunoglobulin is used in a standard dose - 3 ml for adults, and for children 1.5 ml intramuscularly. The drug is prescribed as a preventive treatment for encephalitis for all those who are not vaccinated against the infection. 10 days after the first dose, the drug is re-administered, but in a double dose.
Planned specific prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is the use of a vaccine against the pathogen. It is used by everyone living in areas with high incidence rates. The vaccination can be done according to epidemic indications one month before the spring season of ticks awakening.

It is planned to vaccinate against tick-borne encephalitis not only residents of infected areas, but also visitors, in case of a business trip to a dangerous, in terms of morbidity, zone.

Today there are two main options for vaccines: tissue inactivated and live, but weakened. They are used twice with repeated revaccination. But none of the available drugs protects against tick-borne encephalitis for a long time.

Is tick-borne encephalitis virus dangerous today during the active development of the preventive branch of medicine? For many years to come, the causative agent of the disease will be classified as life-threatening. There are all the prerequisites for this - a huge number of animal carriers in nature, their distribution over a large territory, the absence of specific treatment for all forms of the disease. From all this, only one correct conclusion follows - it is necessary to carry out timely prevention of tick-borne encephalitis through vaccination.

Encephalitis is a group of diseases characterized by inflammation of the brain. Tick-borne encephalitis, a viral infectious disease carried by ticks, is widespread in the Russian Federation. This viral infection affects brain cells, nerve endings and, in the absence of the necessary prevention or treatment, can be fatal. We discussed how to prevent infection in the previous article "Prevention: how to protect yourself from a tick bite." How to suspect tick-borne encephalitis and what to do if it seems to you that it really is it? You will learn about this from the material below.

Tick-borne encephalitis symptoms

Tick-borne encephalitis (alternative names - spring-summer or taiga encephalitis) is an acute viral pathology that belongs to the group of natural focal diseases. It is carried by ixodid ticks, but a person can also become infected from wild or domestic animals and birds, as well as after consuming raw cow (goat) milk.

The incubation period for viral encephalitis is 10 to 30 days. The development of the disease begins immediately after the pathogen enters the bloodstream. Moreover, only a small amount is enough, which is brought in with saliva, even if the mite has stuck to the skin for a short time.

The development of encephalitis is accompanied by severe muscle pain, headache, fever up to 40 degrees Celsius, sleep disorders, nausea and vomiting. These symptoms can last from a week to two, after which (if untreated), more serious consequences occur.

The clinical picture depends on the forms of pathologies. There are such types:

Feverish. The least dangerous type of pathology. It manifests itself in the form of a mild fever, after which the patient is cured without harm to health.
Meningeal. A fairly common form, it manifests itself in the form of headaches and muscle stiffness in the back of the neck. The pathology is accompanied by Kernig's symptom (the patient's leg, lying on his back, passively bends at an angle of 90 ° in the hip and knee joints (the first phase of the study), after which the examiner makes an attempt to straighten this leg in the knee joint (second phase). meningeal syndrome, it is impossible to straighten his leg in the knee joint due to a reflex increase in the tone of the flexor muscles of the lower leg; with meningitis, this symptom is equally positive on both sides) This form lasts from 6 to 14 days, after which remission occurs.
Meningoencephalitic. It is dangerous because it leads to the death of the patient in 20% of cases. In addition to the symptoms listed above, it is accompanied by hallucinations and delirium, psychomotor agitation, muscle twitching.
Poliomyelitis. The symptomatology is clear from the name and is similar to the clinical manifestations of poliomyelitis. The patient suffers from a fever and the muscles of his neck and arms are paralyzed.
Polyradiculoneuric. A very rare form of infection. Nerve nodes are affected, which manifests itself in numbness and tingling of the extremities.

For an accurate diagnosis of the disease, it is necessary to take a blood test. The disease is identified by the presence of antibodies produced by the human immune system.

Tick-borne encephalitis treatment

The disease is treated exclusively in a hospital setting. The patient must be admitted to the infectious diseases ward. For treatment, immunoglobulin, antibacterial drugs, stimulants and B vitamins are used.

After suppression of the virus during the recovery period, neuroprotectors are administered to the patient and a course of physiotherapy exercises and (or) massage is prescribed. At the end of the course of therapy, residual effects caused by encephalitis are possible - atrophy of the shoulder girdle, deployed epileptic seizures with muscle twitching.

Preventive actions

The best way to avoid infection and long-term treatment for tick-borne encephalitis is through preventive measures. Usually, vaccinations are used to protect the body, which are given in advance.

However, there is currently another effective remedy - iodantipyrine. This drug has undergone clinical trials at the Siberian State Medical Institute, where it has shown an efficiency of more than 99%: out of 460 people taking iodantipyrine, only 3 developed the virus.

Prevention before a tick bite with iodantipyrine is carried out according to the following scheme:

2 tablets 1 time per day during the entire spring-summer period, when there is a danger of tick bite and virus infection;

2 tablets 3 times a day 2 days before visiting the area in which ticks can live.

If the mite has already adhered to the skin, it must be removed with tweezers or a thread, and then drink a course of iodantipyrine according to the following scheme:

3 tablets 3 times a day for 2 days;
2 tablets 3 times a day for the next 2 days;
1 tablet 3 times a day for the next 5 days

After the end of the course, blood should be donated for analysis.

Shoshina Vera Nikolaevna

Therapist, education: Northern Medical University. Work experience 10 years.

Articles written

Of particular concern is the focal form, which is the most unfavorable. The effects of a bite can be irreversible. So, death from tick-borne encephalitis is observed in 30 cases out of 100. Even if a person received timely and high-quality treatment, subsequently he may experience convulsive syndrome, persistent paralysis of the muscles of the arms and legs, as well as a decrease in intellectual abilities.

Prevention measures in children and adults

As you know, any disease can be prevented and not treated later. This statement can be fully attributed to tick-borne encephalitis.

There are certain preventive measures, following which you can avoid an insect bite and the penetration of infection into the body. Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis includes, first of all, organizational measures. The population living in regions with a high incidence of disease should be informed about the rules for visiting forest zones, parks and other places where ticks can live. During the period of insect activity, it is necessary to visit such places in appropriate shoes and clothes, which should cover most of the body. A headdress (cap, panama, kerchief) is required, under which the hair is removed.

In case of a bite, you should immediately contact a medical institution so that a medical professional can remove the insect. If there is no way to go to the hospital, the tick is removed on its own, and then delivered to the laboratory for research.

A necessary preventive measure is vaccination, which can be general and emergency. The general one is carried out according to the scheme: in the fall, in winter, then after 6-12 months, that is, three times. Emergency vaccinations include two, which are given sequentially at intervals of 14 days. They resort to it when a person urgently needs to visit a disadvantaged region. It operates for 1 season.

Specific prophylaxis involves the introduction of immunoglobulin in the event of a tick bite. This is necessary so that antibodies (immunoglobulins) to the tick-borne encephalitis virus can form in the blood. Individuals who have received vaccinations have significantly reduced risks of developing the disease.