Every year, with the onset of heat, another, more familiar, but no less dangerous threat is activated – ixodid ticks, which are the causative agents of dangerous diseases.
Usually, the season of tick activity lasts until November and has two peaks of activity – in April-May and in August-September. Everything depends on weather conditions.
Zones of reproduction and activity of ixodid ticks: recreational areas, forest strips, parks, squares, green spaces in public spaces, educational and preschool institutions.
They can carry pathogens of dangerous human and animal diseases, in particular, tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis (Lyme disease), as well as Miyamoto’s disease. Pathogens enter our body during tick suction (bite).
In the 4 months of 2023, 25 residents of the region already fell ill with Lyme disease. Last year, 278 cases of Lyme disease were registered in the Lviv region, which is twice as many as in 2021.
With this in mind, a meeting was held in the Department of Civil Protection on the dangers of spreading ticks and methods of reducing their population. Among the participants are Natalya Ivanchenko, director of the regional center for disease control and prevention of the Ministry of Health, and Roman Dovbush, director of the utility company “Prophylactic Disinfection”.
During the meeting, the participants discussed the problem of the danger of the spread of ixodid ticks and determined directions for solving this problem. Therefore, to ensure sanitation in the region, it is advisable to take the following measures:
– Ensure proper maintenance of parks and recreational areas, prevent accumulation of dry grass and leaves;
– To intensify educational work with the population regarding the prevention of tick sucking and actions in case of detection of ticks;
– Carry out acaricidal treatment of recreational areas, places of mass presence of people in the territories of green areas, including health care facilities and educational institutions twice a year, in compliance with safety requirements for people and the environment;
During acaricidal treatment, the population of ixodid ticks decreases sharply, which, accordingly, leads to a decrease in the risk of infection with dangerous diseases. Recommended treatment of recreational areas, forest strips, parks, squares, green spaces in public spaces, educational and preschool institutions.