Puipuia oe lava mai siaki: mea uma e tatau ona e iloa e uiga i lenei mite

What are the symptoms of a tick bite?

There is debate on the fact that the tick bites (according to the High Authority of Health) or bites (according to the site of the Social Security) to suck our blood… But whether it is following a bite or a tick bite, of tele faailoga can make their appearance, and they are not to be taken lightly! Ticks can transmit a variety of pathogens, so you can suffer from headaches, fulū-pei faʻailoga, maʻi pipili, or see a ipu mumu, called “erythema migrans”, characteristic of Lyme disease.

O le a le ma'i Lyme?

It is estimated, thanks to the analysis of the infectious content of a sample of ticks, that 15% of them are carriers, in metropolitan France, of the bacterium that causes Lyme maʻi. Lyme disease, also called borreliose de Lyme, is an infection caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. The tick can transmit this bacteria to humans during a bite. Lyme borreliosis causes flu-like symptoms, as well as a redness called “erythema migrans”, which may go away on their own.

nisi sometimes the disease progresses and affects other organs. Symptoms can then appear in the skin (such as swelling), the nervous system (meninges, brain, facial nerves), joints (mainly the knee) and, in rare cases, the heart (heart rhythm disturbances) . From 5 to 15% of people experience central nervous system damage during this second phase. Fortunately, these attacks are rare. Most of the time, tick bites / bites only cause mild problems. 

What is tick-borne meningoencephalitis (FSME)?

The other most common disease caused by a tick bite is tick-borne meningoencephalitis. This disease is caused by a virus (and not a bacterium as with Lyme disease) and is also known as “vernoestival” meningoencephalitis, in relation to the seasons (spring-summer) during which it is rife.

She is at the origin of graves infections in the meninges, spinal cord or brain. Most often, it causes flu-like symptoms, joint pain, headaches, and fatigue. A blood test is needed to make the diagnosis. To date, there is no treatment, but a vaccine is recommended. 

Who can get the tick-borne encephalitis vaccine?

There is not yet a vaccine against Lyme disease, but a laboratory collaborating with Pfizer is currently in the testing phase, with the hope of commercialization by 2025. French health authorities recommend, however, to get vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis, especially when traveling in Central, Eastern and Northern Europe, po oi totonu some areas of China or Japan, between spring and autumn.

There are several vaccines against this tick-borne disease, including Ticovac 0,25 ml children’s vaccines, Ticovac adolescents and adults from the Pfizer laboratory or the Encépur from GlaxoSmithKline laboratories. The latter cannot be injected only from the age of 12 years.

How to avoid tick bites?

While the symptoms caused by viruses or bacteria are far from negligible, it is fortunately possible toavoid this little mite ! Be careful, it stings without hurting and it is therefore difficult to notice it. To limit the risks as much as possible, you can: 

• Wear outdoors clothes that cover the arms and legs, closed shoes and a hat. The latter is particularly recommended, specifies INRAE, the National Institute of Agronomic Research, “ for children with their heads up to tall grass and bushes ". Laei mama can also facilitate the tracking of ticks, so more noticeable than on black.
• In forest, we avoid leaving the trails. This limits the risk of encountering ticks in brush, ferns and tall grass.
• Back from your walk, it is recommended to tumble dry all worn clothes at a heat of 40 ° C minimum in order to kill a possible hidden tick.
• It is also necessary to take a shower and check that we are not detecting on his body and that of our children, especially in the folds and areas usually more humid (neck, armpit, crotch, behind the ears and knees), a small black dot resembling a mole that was not there before ! Be careful, tick larvae do not measure more than 0,5 millimeters, then nymphs 1 to 2 millimeters.
• It is prudent to always have on hand a tick remover, as well as’a repellent, by favoring those with a marketing authorization, and by respecting their conditions of use (you can inquire at the pharmacy about possible contraindications for children and pregnant women). We can impregnate our children’s clothes, as well as our own, with the repellent. 

How to use a tick puller on human skin?

In France, the Health Insurance recommends to use a tick remover (sold in pharmacies) or failing that, a fine tweezers to remove a tick spotted on his skin or that of his relatives. The goal is to gently grip the insect as close as possible to the skin while pulling gently but firmly, and performing a circular motion so as not to break the oral apparatus, which would remain under the skin. 

« The rotational movement decreases the fixing capacities of the small spines of the rostrum (head of the tick), and therefore decreases the resistance to withdrawal », Explains to UFC-Que Choisir, Denis Heitz, general manager of O’tom, one of the manufacturers of tick hooks. ” If the tick is completely extracted, all is well, specifies the latter. The main thing is not to squeeze the abdomen at the time of removal since this increases the risk of transmission of pathogens. » 

If the person failed to remove the tick’s entire head and rostrum on the first try, don’t panic: “ The salivary glands that contain the germs are located in the belly », Indicates Nathalie Boulanger, pharmacist at the Borrelia National Reference Center in Strasbourg, interviewed by the UFC-Que Choisir. Either a doctor can help remove the residue that has stuck to the skin, or we can wait for it to “dry” and fall off.

In all cases, the skin must then be carefully disinfected with a chlorhexidine antiseptic et monitor the stung area for 30 days if you develop a spreading inflammatory red plaque, a symptom of Lyme disease. It can be handy to write down the date you were stung. At the slightest redness or in case of chills and fever, it is necessary logo his doctor as quickly as possible… and be careful not to confuse these symptoms with those of Covid-19!

The tick does not have time to transmit diseases and bacteria that if it stays hung for more than 7 hours. It is for this reason that we must act quickly.

How to treat a tick bite?

In most cases, our immune system, or that of our child, will rid itself of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. In prevention, the doctor can still prescribe a togafitiga vai ranging from 20 to 28 days according to the clinical signs observed in the infected person.

The Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) recalled that for the disseminated forms (5% of cases) of Lyme diseases, i.e. those which manifest themselves several weeks or even several months after an injection, additional examinations such as serologies and expert medical advice is needed. 

Are there any additional risks during pregnancy?

There are few medical studies on the subject, but there does not seem to be any additional risk in the event of a tick bite during pregnancy. But caution and monitoring are of course still required, and your doctor may prescribe medication for you.

According to a French study carried out in 2013, the Borrelia burgdorferi could on the other hand be able to cross the placental barrier, and therefore infect the developing fetus, with the main risk of causing heart disease or heart defects. This would be especially the case when the disease starts in the first trimester and is not treated quickly.

If you spot the tick and remove it, or are undergoing treatment for symptoms of a bite, then there is no need to worry.

Where do ticks live in France?

1. Preferred tick habitats are forest edges, grasses, especially tall ones, shrubs, hedges and shrubs. These blood-sucking parasites preferably live in temperate climates, but have a very high adaptability to altitude, up to 2 meters, and humidity. Below 000 ° C, it goes into hibernation. 

2. Since 2017, the CiTIQUE participatory research program, coordinated by INRAE, has been counting on our participation in order to improve knowledge of ticks and associated diseases. Anyone can report tick bites using the free “Tick Report” application.

3. “Tick Report”: a new version of the application to report tick bites is available

4. The latter makes it possible to collect data on the geographical distribution, the context of tick bites (date, area of ​​the body bitten, number of ticks implanted, type of environment, reason for the bite. presence at the bite site, photo of the bite and / or tick…) and the pathogens they carry. The application has been downloaded more than 70 times in less than four years, which has made it possible to establish a real mapping of the risk of tick bite in France. 

5. In the latest version of “Tick Report”, users can create several profiles within the same account, for future bite reports. ” For example, a family can save the profiles on a single account. matua, tamaiti ma fagafao. Users benefit from more information on prevention and post-bite follow-up », Indicates INRAE. It is even possible to report an injection while being “offline”, because the application transmits the report once the internet connection has been recovered.

6. Ticks: risks also in private and public gardens

7. While the main places of presence of ticks identified by the general public are forests, wooded and humid areas, and tall grass in prairies, a third of the bites have taken place in private gardens or public parks, which requires according to INRAE ​​” rethink prevention in these areas where people are reluctant to follow the individual prevention measures recommended for outings in the forest “. Between 2017 and 2019, 28% of people across the metropolitan area declared being stung in a private garden, against 47% between March and April 2020.

8. Ticks: sharp increase in bites in private gardens

9. INRAE ​​and ANSES, the National Food Sanitary Security Agency, therefore launched the “TIQUoJARDIN” project at the end of April 2021. Its goal ? Better understand the risk associated with the presence of ticks in private gardens, determine the common factors of these gardens and identify if these ticks carry pathogens. From a collection kit sent to voluntary households in the city of Nancy and neighboring municipalities, more than 200 gardens will be examined, and the results will be made available to the scientific community as well as to citizens.

O le a le vaitau o siaki?

Thanks to data collected over three years of using the “Tick Signaling” application, INRAE ​​researchers were able to confirm that the most risky periods are spring and autumn. On average, the risks of crossing ticks are highest between March and November.

How to remove a tick from our dog or our cat?

Given their way of life, our four-legged animals are particularly loved by ticks! If you spot a tick on your pet’s coat or skin, you can use a tick card, small tweezers, or even your fingernails, to remove it. In prevention, there are also anti tick collars, similar to flea collars, drops or chewable tablets. 

In most cases, our dogs or cats do not suffer from tick bites, but if the tick is infected, it can transmit Lyme disease or tick-borne meningoencephalitis to them. Dogs are more likely to suffer from tick disease than cats.. In case of suspicion, you can request a test from your veterinarian, who will then institute a togafitiga fa'ama'i. Against FSME on the other hand, there is no vaccine for our animals.