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INRAE is launching a “tick tracker” accessible to all, thanks to data collected since 2017, to better map the presence of ticks in France. A tool to consult while the season for walks in the forest is in full swing.
It measures only a few millimeters, yet represents a nightmare for many walkers. The tick, and in particular its bite, can indeed transmit the dreaded Lyme disease. In this month of June, a month conducive to bites if we are to believe the antecedents, the National Research Institute for Agriculture and the Environment (Inrae) puts online a tracker precisely sharing the latest data on ticks, region by region.
11,000 bites reported in France last year
Last year, 11,000 tick bites in France were reported to Inrae, including a peak in June, with the risk of contacting Lyme disease. Stings that took place mainly in the forest, but also… at home. According to the data, 22% arrived in the gardens, and 4% inside the home. And ticks are more present in eastern and central France. All these facts have been collected since 2017. But, until now, these data were mainly studied by researchers or CiTIQUE partners, and communicated to the general public from time to time.
By making this tracker accessible, Inrae is thus aiming for prevention, and targets the risk of proximity, that is to say the risk of being bitten by a tick in a familiar environment where there is less protection, such as parks. , gardens or inside his home.
Lyme disease on the front line
Not all ticks cause Lyme disease. However, according to Inrea, one in six ticks carries the bacteria responsible for it. The bite then often has a red spot in a circle on the bit, which widens over time. In the absence of antibiotic treatment, the disease can sometimes cause lesions on the skin, muscle damage, or neurological damage. The tracker thus makes it possible to know with precision the risk of your zone. However, if you discover a tick on the skin, you must then detach it with pliers or your fingernails by “unscrewing” it. The faster the gesture, the better you protect yourself from an infectious risk.
What the tracker tells us
Online, the CiTIQUE-TRACKER tool thus includes several tabs and provides several details. Analysis of bite report data from the CiTIQUE program shows regional and temporal variation. Different counters also draw the panorama of the risk carried by ticks.
Thus, according to the information given, we learn:
- That the risk of sting is more present in the East and the Center of France;
- That many injections take place during school outings;
- That bites are overrepresented in children under 10;
- And that the month with the most bites is usually June.
Notions that should allow us to better protect ourselves during our next outings.