Record plague of ticks in Tatarstan: 2,300 people have suffered in a month

Over the last month, 2,346 people have gone to health care organisations of Tatarstan seeking advice for tick bites. If their number at the beginning of the last spring month was 398, now they total 2,744. The republican office of Russia’s consumer rights protection watchdog provides such data.

The watchdog notes that Tatarstan is breaking anti-records in tick bites. This indicator is 2,2 times above the 2021 level and 4,4 above the average long-term indicator across the republic.

Specialists have found that tick-borne encephalitis is spread in 30 districts of Tatarstan. It is Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Bugulma, Yelabuga, Zainsk, Vysokaya Gora, Verkhny Uslon, Laishevo and other districts of the republic.

“TBE endemic territories had 93,8% of bites,” says the watchdog.

At the same time, the Kazan city administration notes that the city is being treated for ticks since 4 June. Specialists of the watchdog choose sites for it.

Immunologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences Vladislav Zhemchugov explains that ticks react to the warmth of the human or animal body: “They climb the grass or parachute look for loopholes in the clothes to get access to the body.” It is necessary to put on high boots, trousers with waistband, a coat with waistband or cuffs to protect yourself. According to climb, the most important thing is to cover the head because the ticks love the hair very much.