Tick borne encephalitis

[bazdog]

Hi, I have been reading up on Slovenia recently as we are going caving there in October and it recommends being vaccinated against Tick borne encephalitis. I know a fair few people have been to Slovenia and I was wondering if anybody bothered to get vaccinated or it is nothing to worry about. I asked about at the chemist and they reckoned it would cost about 40 quid so its probably cheaper to take some tweezers?
Cheers

 

[Les W]

Tick borne encephalitis is endemic in the tick populations of Slovenia and Austria. If you contract it it is quite serious and has a 1 in 30 mortality rate

Info here: http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/27000510/

If you are visiting heavily forested areas in spring and summer then you are at risk.
There is an anti serum but immunisation is better.

Hope this helps

 

[Judi Durber]

Don't use tweezers   

You have to extract the tick without it regurgitating the contents of it stomach (being sick, vomiting)  :yucky: into you as this is how the infection is passed on.  :alien:

I got a hook device from the local pet shop, and it works a treat every time.

http://www.bada-uk.org/defence/removal/removaltool.php

 

[Elaine]

Oh. I should have washed my hands afterwards and also sterilised the tick twister (which I hadn't used) at 140 degrees - oops, my 'yank them out willy nilly' approach wasn't quite right!

 

[Cookie]

I was wondering if anybody bothered to get vaccinated.

Yes, I bothered.  :halo:

As a caver you are at high risk wandering around the forest and in the long grass compared to a tourist walking around Ljubljana.

Long trousers are a good idea as well.

 

[MSD]

Wear long trousers and tuck them into your socks. If you are camping, check your trousers for ticks and shake them out before getting into your tent. A tick-remover is indeed the business.

We have the same problem here in Sweden. One of my friends was off work for 9 months after getting it, so it's worth taking it seriously.

Mark

 

[Ed W]

The threat is very real.  A friend of mine contracted the disease on a caving trip to Slovenia (based around Laze) and was very ill with it. 

 

[Duncan Price]

Long trousers are a good idea as well.

I collected a tick in Florida and brought it back to the UK attached to a personal part of my anatomy...resulting in said part of anatomy now featuring in a lecture course at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester.

I opted for the "Outback Method" of tick removal rather than the surgery offered by my GP.

 

[mrodoc]

'attached to a personal part of my anatomy' - tick on a dick? Seriously I have rather nice cu of a tick on a patient of mine who had been out walking presumably in short. No serious sequelae and he removed it himself in the surgery. I don't have his permission to show you the photo unfortunately.

I did get myself vaccinated for Jap B encephalitis when visiting Meghalaya. Only vaccn ever had a reaction to - fortunately very minor. Jap B is associated with pigs. I never got near any pigs in the end but apparently the disease is endemic and occurs seasonally.

After what others have contributed to the forum seems as if exposure is sig. enough to warrant immunisation. Brace yourself for the bill!

 

[Duncan Price]

I don't have his permission to show you the photo unfortunately.

The photo of my tick in situ was given to a friend of mine who lectures in GU medicine and has been seen by countless students. :-\

 

[mrodoc]

Just don't tell anybody or put it on a forum. :-[

 

[kayleigh]

I had the vaccination to go to Austria in 2000 and it was ?50 then for the course of 2 jabs so i don't know how much it is now. The disease is particularly nasty though so i would go for the vaccination. Ticks are best removed with the tick removers you can buy in chemists or vets, but cigarettes, vaseline or tea tree oil are also supposed to work.

 

[graham]

Ticks are best removed with the tick removers you can buy in chemists or vets, but cigarettes, vaseline or tea tree oil are also supposed to work.

Seriously good scotch also works, but the tick removers from the vets are by far the best.

 

[Peter Burgess]

I've seen ticks removed by gentle rubbing of the offending creature with the head of a wet match. The phosphorus is supposed to kill them. Mind you, I'm not condoning this as I've no idea if it is reliable, but I have seen it done. Its probably best to get properly protected in the first place.

 

[graham]

I've seen ticks removed by gentle rubbing of the offending creature with the head of a wet match. The phosphorus is supposed to kill them. Mind you, I'm not condoning this as I've no idea if it is reliable, but I have seen it done. Its probably best to get properly protected in the first place.

Oh yes, removing them is all very well,but they've already had their jaws into you by that stage.

Really weird; here in the Dordogne, we had ticks all over the dogs and us in March, but we've seen sod all this past fortnight.

 

[bazdog]

Thanks for all the advice, I was hoping you would all say it would be fine but it sounds like a good idea to get vaccinated. I'll also have a look in the vets for some tick removers and try and design a pair of clingfilm safety pants. Should be a good trip despite the nasty crawlies.

 

[Christian_Chourot]

I had the vaccination to go to Austria in 2000 and it was ?50 then for the course of 2 jabs so i don't know how much it is now. The disease is particularly nasty though so i would go for the vaccination. Ticks are best removed with the tick removers you can buy in chemists or vets, but cigarettes, vaseline or tea tree oil are also supposed to work.

Concensus seems to be that these methods aren't a good idea as they may encourage salivation and regurgitation of the tick when used. Pulling them out is better. Another interesting idea that I've come across is to inject lignocaine (local anaesthetic) and adrenaline in a bleb under the tick. The adrenaline causes vasoconstriction, cutting off the blood supply to the tick and it's been reported that they just crawl off of their own accord so no danger of mouthparts being left behind. You couldn't do this on extremities though - fingers and toes and penises are definitely a bad place to inject adrenaline!

 

[andymorgan]

'attached to a personal part of my anatomy' - tick on a dick? Seriously I have rather nice cu of a tick on a patient of mine who had been out walking presumably in short. No serious sequelae and he removed it himself in the surgery. I don't have his permission to show you the photo unfortunately.

One of your photographic models (ChCC member) recently had the same problem in Assynt 

 

[Cumbrian Neil]

Catch them before they attach themselves... make sure you're checking those crevices on a frequent basis.



Ticks and mosquitoes are terrible in Wisconsin this year.  Get some 100% deet and apply it to your ankles and legs... just don't get it on any plastice objects.

CN