Warning: ticks in Europe
 

Just perusing the vaccinations section here and came across the heading "European tick borne Encephalitis". There is no effective treatment and this disease is usually FATAL. You can be vaccinated, however.

I just want to point out that there are in fact TWO different diseases spread by ticks and there is NO vaccination against the second disease, Lyme Boreliosis, which is a bacterial infection. This is far more common than encephalitis, but it can be treated with antibiotics.

So: when travelling in the danger zones make sure you are covered when walking in the forest and check your clothing for ticks regularly.

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Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise,

Peter.

[This message has been edited by beddhist (edited 20 February 2005).]

[This message has been edited by beddhist (edited 20 February 2005).]

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize Lymes had made it to Europe. I got a case of it a few years back. I was lucky and cought it on time. If not caught early it can be debilitating or even fatal.



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John

two practical questions then! where are the danger zones/info on them? and apart from checking for ticks.... whats the treatment?

bob

Bob,

ticks are usually sitting on high grass (NOT on trees) in areas below 800m - so you are save in large regions of the black forest http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

You can avoid them by not walking through grass, which means: Stay on paths, if you want avoid ticks at all costs.

However, immunisation against Encephalitis is advised only for persons who are regularly exposed to those risk, e.g. forest workers, children and hikers.

As Peter pointed out: there is no immunisation against borelliosis. If you have been biten by a tick, watch out for reddened skin and "weak" feeling. But since you do not necessarily notice a tick' s bite, you can also watch out for red spots if you generally feel weak.

(Please note that I am no doctor, just recalling what I have in memory about ticks)

Regards

Lars

[This message has been edited by Lars (edited 27 February 2005).]

Thanks Lars!

Just found maps:

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/...5/article.html

Red color indicates high risk areas, yellow indicates medium risk.

Regards

Lars

[This message has been edited by Lars (edited 27 February 2005).]

[This message has been edited by Lars (edited 27 February 2005).]

hi,

as a frevent hiker i have lots of experiences with these F ticks. I had even one on the worst imaginable place you can come up with. :-) my tip: they useally find nice spots near warm body-ereas like under your arms and offcourse near your initimate parts..
there is also an antibiotic cream..but if you're not sure take the full treatment.

cheers and good luck ;-)
niels

Actually, as far as I know most of the Black Forest lies below 800m.

We've just been to the hospital for advice on vaccinations for our Asia trip. The doc was adamant: if we were to spend even one night in a risk zone we should be vaccinated.

More bad news: I just read that ticks are spreading, due to climate changes and changes in agriculture. And they transmit increasingly another 4 dangerous disease.

Prevention is the best cure: don't get bitten.

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Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise,

Peter.

lyme's disease can only be contracted if the tick is allowed to remain in the system for more than 8 hours. check your body often, use a tick repellent, if bitten, cover the beastie with lard, margarine, thick hand cream, butter, anything that will stop its "breathing" It will back out in about 1 minute at which time it is easily removed from the body with a tissue. no danger of its head remaining behind to cause secondary infection. no butter? the burning match will work, but heating the tine of a fork with a lighter is better. a tight point of a lit cigarette will also encourage the tick to let go. If traveling with an IRS agent it is best to remove the limb above the joint and cauterize the wound by laying the victim close to your red hot exhaust pipe.

2 pairs of socks followed by wearing nylon sport type tousers and long sleeved t shirt will aid in preventing ticks biting, also Detol or simaliar smelling (Savlon) dabbed about the body prevents may insects from liking you, including pets if you are taking any, in a dire situation where you are not covered up using mud spread on the parts of body exposed will prevent mozzys and other nastys from bitting you, no mud then if there is fine dust about spread that on your body, watch what the animal world does and its the same for humans, there are plants that can be used to ward off insects but I've forgotten most of it, typical aint it...

Smearing mud etc probably works great, but...

Tics get on you whenever they can, e.g. when you're squating to let go yesterdays bush meat etc. Now I don't consider it practical to smear mud on exposed bodyparts for these 5 vulnerable minutes.

I've found that burning the tick doesn't really work. The body becomes fragile which makes it impossible to remove the head.

what worked well for me is: take the skin between your fingers (so there's some slack), then pull and turn a quarter turn ccw.

Ah, and they're not only grass, the're in pine forest as well.

Just another suggestion to get a tick off your body, VASELINE suffocate the little ticker but never pull them off or you leave half of it in your nether regions.

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R.T.B.

Totally unscientific and non-first-hand advise:

A Marine buddy of mine told me a story that when he did his boot camp training they had to spend a couple of days out in swampy/foresty areas with ticks. The advise he got? "Wear a pair of panty hose under your uniform." This protects the "vitals" and from what I understand makes it hard for the little buggers to get a good grip and latch on. Above the waist is a different matter but I'm sure that they're easier to spot/remove on an arm or back. Can't vouch for the effectiveness of this but my buddy swears by it and claims to have been one of only 4 guys in his class to not have a single tick...all 4 followed the advise.

Plus, I'm sure getting a "control-top" pair will help you look more rugged and fit in your riding gear. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by ElDirtyPaco (edited 06 April 2006).]

[This message has been edited by ElDirtyPaco (edited 06 April 2006).]

Sorry, but the advice I just got from my father (veterinarian) is that suffocating the tick is not recommended. As it dies it "vomits" and thereby gives the victim another big dose of whatever germs it may carry. Use tweezers to twist and turn it out carefully, without squeezing its body and without tearing off its head. Otherwise, seek medical assistance.

If you go to any pet shop in France you can get a pair of tools for removing ticks of various sizes for about a euro. They look like little plastic 'wrecking bars' you just slide the forked bit between the tick and skin and rotate it ccw. the tick just comes away. My cats often get them, although Frontline is supposed to prevent this happening.