The morbidity rate of tick-borne diseases
has been rising steadily in Europe as well
as in Asia and America. The group of
most frequently contracted diseases include
borreliosis, tick-borne encephalitis,
granulocytic anaplasmosis, and babesiosis.
Tick-borne diseases are usually transmitted
by a tick bite during which germs get to the victim’s blood with the tick’s
saliva. Another way of transmitting the
disease might be by the alimentary system
(only in the case of tick-borne encephalitis).
Borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis
are the diseases the incidence
of which has been increasing in Poland in
the last few years making them a serious
epidemiological threat.
The basic principle of tick-borne diseases
prophylaxis is raising awareness
among individuals exposed to tick bites,
which, in turn, provides these individuals
with proper protection. These preventive
measures include: wearing proper
clothes covering the body completely
(long-sleeved tops and trousers tucked
into the socks), applying tick repellents,
checking the body after potential exposure
to ticks, vaccination against tickborne
encephalitis, avoiding consuming
unpasteurised milk and unpasteurised
dairy products, quick and careful removal
of the whole tick from the body and
the ability to recognize early symptoms
of the disease (e.g. skin redness). Only
by taking these steps can the increase of
tick-borne diseases morbidity be stopped.