Experts warned against tick cases in Manisa, where agricultural and livestock activities are intense with the arrival of spring months. Stating that there is an increase in tick bite cases in the spring months, Manisa Merkezefendi State Hospital Emergency Medicine Physician Specialist. Dr. Çağdaş Can said, “There is a seasonal process in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. This is a process that passes from animals to humans. In fact, the primary culprit here is the tick. This disease occurs due to viruses carried by ticks. We also have patients who come with direct tick contamination. In other words, we also have patients whose body has been infected by ticks.” It can also occur in people who come into contact with the fluids and tissues of animals that have been exposed to ticks, or when other people are actively infected. It is more common in spring and autumn, when the presence of ticks increases. “It mostly happens outside in agricultural areas. We need to be alert, aware and conscious during these periods,” he said.
“THERE ARE SOME CLINICAL SIGNS THAT THE CLINICIAN AND THE DOCTOR SHOULD BE AWARE OF”
Expert stated that tick bites are approached with clinical suspicion. Dr. Can said, “The group we call lucky are those who notice that the tick is attached. They see that the tick is attached and consciously come to us. Another group notices the tick but tries to remove it with their own methods. This is actually a situation we do not recommend. The other is a person who does not know that the tick has bitten him.” There is a group of people who may come to us with complaints of itching, swelling and bruising. There are some clinical symptoms that the clinician and doctor should be aware of. “We need to approach it with suspicion. We send some blood tests. If we have clinical suspicion and we can detect a tick in our patient, we need to appropriately refer the patient to a tertiary care unit,” he said.
“WE DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE TO REMOVE THE TICK”
Specialist says that people stuck with ticks should not remove the tick. Dr. Can said, “We do not recommend anyone to remove the tick. This can generally be the wrong method. If there is a long distance to the health institution, we will say that it can be removed with the right methods. Because the tick remaining in the body for a long time also increases the risk of viral infection. First of all, we will tell our patient this; never press a cigarette on him.” We definitely do not recommend burning it with a lighter, pulling it with a string, or scraping it. If possible, take a tweezer and squeeze it from the head part, not the tail part, because when you squeeze it, all the viral agent inside the tick is vomited by the tick and enters the body by pulling it with small movements. We are working. If possible, we want the tick to come out alive. The process does not end here. Again, it is necessary to apply to emergency services and health institutions. Because we are doing a staging process, we want them to go to infectious disease clinics for 48-hour follow-up. If the patient is comfortable. If the patient is not comfortable, has rashes, pain, abdominal pain, liver and spleen enlargement, and bleeding, and when we see the tick, we definitely need to hospitalize the patient for follow-up. Because early diagnosis is very important as it prevents the patient from going to multiple organ failure. “We can say that even a clinical suspicion is enough for hospitalization,” he said.
Stating that there is no vaccine against the tick-borne virus, Can said, “The treatments given in the hospital are mostly supportive treatment. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for this. It has not been found. It is a very large family. It is not known what to vaccinate against. But the faster we give early treatment, the faster we can get a response from patients.” ” said.
Expert explains the points where the tick sticks to the body. Dr. Can said, “Ticks generally settle in open spots on the body. We tell our patients that they should cover these areas with gloves and long clothes when they go out to agricultural areas. Logically, when the person wears socks, we want them to fold these socks up with their trousers so that they do not become open there. The places where they are most frequently seen are “Ticks can be seen on the scalp, arms and legs, the lower part of the legs and the groin areas of the body. They can be found in every part of the body,” he said.
“15 CASES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED SINCE 2005 AND ONE RESULTED IN DEATH”
Public Health Specialist Cevriye Ceyda Karabulut, Communicable Diseases Unit Manager of Manisa Provincial Health Directorate, stated that tick cases have been decreasing compared to the years and said that people dealing with fields and animal husbandry should be careful. Karabulut said, “In our country, this disease is seen in the spring and summer months. It is more common in the north of Central Anatolia, the central Black Sea and the north of Eastern Anatolia. It attracted attention in our country in 2002. The highest number of cases was seen in 2009, with 1,318 cases. The incidence has decreased over the years. The first case was seen in our province in 2005. Since 2005, we had 1 case and one of them resulted in death. When we look at the residence distribution of our cases this year, we do not have the most cases. There are many cases. Apart from this, we also have cases in Saruhanlı, Soma, Akhisar, Gördes and Demirci districts. In this sense, we want our citizens living here to be more careful. Those who go on picnics, those who work in vineyards and those who go to forest areas should definitely be careful. “Again, our veterinarians and healthcare personnel who come into contact with patients need to be careful,” he said. (UAV)
