First Cases of Ticks Found in 2025 in Latvia Reported by the Hospital
Headline: Tick-Borne Diseases: Symptoms, Prevention, and Reported Cases in Eastern Hospital
In the outdoors or even in heated greenhouses during winter and early spring, it's crucial to maintain vigilance against ticks. These tiny creatures can carry harmful diseases that can cause severe health complications.
Common Symptoms
Three common tick-borne diseases—tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), Lyme disease, and ehrlichiosis—share some common symptoms. These typically include fever, headache, fatigue, and sometimes neurological symptoms.
- Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE): Initial symptoms often include fever, headache, vomiting, and weakness. Severe cases may involve encephalitis (brain inflammation) with symptoms such as confusion, loss of coordination, speech difficulties, and seizures.
- Lyme disease: Commonly presents with a characteristic expanding skin rash (erythema migrans), fever, headache, fatigue, and in later stages, joint pain and neurological complications.
- Ehrlichiosis: Symptoms usually include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, and sometimes rash. It can progress to severe infection with organ involvement in some cases.
Prevention Methods
To avoid tick bites, follow these prevention methods:
- Walk in the center of trails to avoid brushy areas where ticks reside.
- Use insect repellents containing DEET or wear permethrin-treated clothing.
- Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks to minimize skin exposure.
- Check yourself, your gear, and pets for ticks after being outdoors, especially in wooded or brushy areas.
- Shower soon after being outdoors to wash off unattached ticks.
- Remove ticks promptly and properly using fine-tipped tweezers, pulling straight upward without twisting.
Reported Cases and Test Results
In 2024, the Eastern Hospital treated several patients with tick-borne diseases. However, no specific case numbers for these diseases at that specific hospital or any facility for 2024 were found in the searched documents.
The LIC laboratory tested a total of 292 ticks for tick-borne diseases in 2024. None of the ticks tested for tick-borne encephalitis were infected, but 151 ticks were tested for Lyme disease, 47 of which were infected (31%).
Recommendations
If you find a tick, it is crucial to monitor your well-being. Seeing a doctor immediately is recommended if you experience symptoms like fever, headache, fatigue, or neurological symptoms after a tick encounter. A total of 1,169 ticks were removed from patients at the Eastern Hospital in 2024.
Health authorities, such as RAKUS, emphasize the importance of vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis. Vaccination can be done at any time of the year.
Stay safe and enjoy the outdoors with proper precautions!
- Engaging in regular fitness and exercise, maintaining a balanced diet with proper nutrition, and practicing good skin care can all contribute to overall healthcare and workplace wellness, helping to manage chronic diseases like tick-borne diseases.
- Therapies and treatments for tick-borne diseases often focus on managing the symptoms and reducing the impact on mental health, as these medical conditions can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression due to their unpredictable nature.
- Respiratory conditions, such as asthma or allergies, can exacerbate symptoms of tick-borne diseases, making it important to consult a healthcare professional if you have any such conditions and are concerned about exposure to ticks.
- With advances in science and medicine, researchers continue to explore new avenues for diagnosing and treating tick-borne diseases, including the development of more accurate diagnostic tests and novel therapies for neurological disorders associated with these diseases.
- Equipment such as insect repellents and permethrin-treated clothing play a significant role in tick-borne disease prevention, especially in outdoor workplaces where exposure to ticks may be more common.
- Employers should consider implementing wellness programs that address the prevention and management of tick-borne diseases, including education and resources for effective tick prevention and prompt response to suspected cases.
- In light of the reported cases and test results, it is crucial for the public to remain vigilant against ticks and seek immediate medical attention if symptoms arise after a tick encounter, to ensure timely diagnostics and treatment.
