Prevention, symptoms and treatment of tick-borne encephalitis

Tick-borne encephalitis is a very dangerous infectious disease . Symptoms and treatment of this disease are associated with the defeat of the causative agent of the central nervous system. The disease is characterized by intoxication, fever and neurological symptoms. The causative agent of this disease is a virus, the carriers of which are mostly mites. It can remain viable for a long time even at low temperatures.

The main ways of infection

In addition to ticks, the virus is often tolerated by insectivorous forest rodents and some birds. Sometimes the carrier of the pathogen can be a domestic animal (goats, cows). Ticks are most active in the spring. Infection, as a rule, occurs at a time when the parasite is injecting and drinking blood, and sometimes even with the use of raw infected milk, as well as dairy products that have not undergone heat treatment. Once in the body, the virus enters the cells of the central nervous system, causing them to pathological changes. It should be understood that the treatment of tick-borne encephalitis should be started as early as possible in order to minimize the severity of the consequences for the body. Ill people do not pose a danger to others, and the afflicted disease forms a stable immunity.

Symptoms and course

Usually the incubation period lasts from 24 hours to 2 weeks. Disease, as a rule, manifests itself suddenly. The person starts chills and the temperature rises rapidly to 38-39 ° C, which lasts 5-10 days. The patients have very severe headache, pain throughout the body, weakness and weakness, nausea, insomnia. The eyes and face of the patients blush.

After the development of the CNS lesion (3-5 days), there are such symptoms: drowsiness, motor excitement, inhibition, hallucinations and delirium, sometimes convulsions. In some people, the course of the disease is complicated by paralysis of the muscles of the extremities and neck. In the arm or leg, there is a weakness, up to almost complete loss of control over it. With the paralysis of the neck muscles, the head of a person simply hangs limply. Another sign of encephalitis is involuntary twitching of certain muscle groups. In severe forms of the disease bulbar disorders are observed.

Treatment of tick-borne encephalitis is a complex process. A dangerous complication of this disease is breathing disorders. There are sudden short breaks in the respiratory process. They can lead to complete cessation of breathing and death of the patient. Therefore, the treatment of tick-borne encephalitis implies constant monitoring of the patient's condition. This is especially true for heavy forms.

Prevention and treatment of tick-borne encephalitis

As a rule, the prevention of this dangerous disease consists in precautions when traveling to nature (especially in spring). Clothes should be closed. It is desirable to treat bare areas with repellent. Upon returning home, you need to carefully examine yourself. If you identify a tick, you should immediately contact your doctor. It is not recommended to drink raw milk.

The specific treatment of tick-borne encephalitis is the daily administration of 6 cubes of anti-malignant gamma globulin. The therapeutic effect and improvement of health are achieved relatively quickly (from 12 hours to 1 day). Nonspecific treatment is aimed at eliminating intoxication, edema of the brain and neurological symptoms, normalization of intracranial pressure. In severe forms of the disease, antibiotics are prescribed to prevent complications.