The incubation period after a tick bite is generally longer

      

　　Summer is here, and it is also the season of tick prevalence. Mr. Song (surname), who lives near Tieshan Temple in Xuyi, Jiangsu, can be described as a disaster. In less than a month, his mother-in-law and brother-in-law died after being bitten by ticks. Mr. Song himself also died of fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome due to tick bites. Under the full rescue and careful care of the infectious diseases department of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital for more than half a month, Mr. Song was out of danger and recovered and discharged today.

　　Drum Tower Hospital has received 17 cases of tick bites since April, of which two patients died because they arrived too late and were too sick. Zhou Wensan, deputy director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Drum Tower Hospital, particularly reminded everyone: Tick bites may cause disease or even life-threatening. If there is a history of tick bites or outdoor activities, once suspected symptoms or signs such as fever appear, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible and should inform the doctor of the relevant exposure history.

　　A family of three was bitten by ticks, and the disease has a 15% mortality rate.

　　It is reported that Mr. Song's family lives near Tieshan Temple in Xuyi, Jiangsu. The fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome caused by ticks is also mainly distributed in rural areas in mountainous, hilly and forested areas of Jiangsu and Anhui, and the people who develop the disease are mainly people who often work outdoors or are keen on outdoor sports. About 160 cases of fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome currently admitted to Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital are mostly from rural areas at the junction of Jiangsu and Anhui, such as Xuyi, Chuzhou, Mingguang and other places.

　　The scar left by Mr. Song after he was bitten by a tick.

　　On May 20, Mr. Song's brother-in-law died after being bitten by a tick. On June 7, Mr. Song's mother-in-law also died of the same disease. On June 9, when Mr. Song sent his mother-in-law's ashes to the mountains for burial, he felt bitten by a tick. "At that time, he felt itchy on his arm, and a red rash was bitten on the surface of his skin." Three days later, Mr. Song began to develop symptoms such as high fever and general weakness. On June 14, Mr. Song went to the Drum Tower Hospital for treatment. After examination, he was confirmed to have fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. Immediately after being hospitalized, Mr. Song began to experience symptoms such as hemorrhage, sharp drop in platelets, and damage to coagulation function.

　　Why is there such a big harm after a small tick bite? It turns out that there is a terrible virus in the tick, called fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (also known as the new Bunia virus), which can be transmitted to people through tick bites, causing fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. Wu Weihua, an attending physician in the Department of Infectious Diseases, introduced: "After being bitten by a tick, people will develop the disease in 2-3 days at the shortest, and some will develop the disease in about 1 month, usually with an incubation period of about 1-2 weeks."

　　Wu Weihua introduced: "Fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome once onset, most people will show acute fever, body temperature is generally above 38.0 ° C, accompanied by chills, loss of appetite, fatigue, muscle soreness, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms, a few critically ill patients will have disorders of consciousness, pulmonary hemorrhage, cerebral hemorrhage, gastrointestinal bleeding, etc., can be due to shock, respiratory failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation and other multi-organ failure and death." The disease mortality rate is 12.7% -32.6%, and there is no effective treatment method at present. Some elderly patients and patients who are not treated are often in severe condition after hospital, and the prognosis is poor. However, most patients have a good prognosis after early, timely and active treatment.

　　How to prevent tick bites during high season?

　　Zhou Wensan, deputy director, pointed out: "Tick bites are most common in May-November, with May-July being the main peak period and September being the second peak period. There may be slight differences in different regions. The reason is that ticks grow, reproduce and operate in the wild in this seasonal range."

　　How to prevent tick bites? First of all, try to avoid sitting and lying in the main habitat of ticks such as grass, woods and other environments for a long time. If you need to enter such areas, you should pay attention to personal protection and promote wearing long-sleeved clothes; do not wear sandals; tie trouser legs tightly or tuck trouser legs into socks or shoes; wear light-colored clothes to make it easy to find whether there are ticks climbing up; the surface of knitted clothes should be as smooth as possible, so that ticks are not easy to adhere.

　　In addition, after the daily tour, tourists should carefully check their bodies and clothing to see if any ticks have bitten or climbed on them, and remove them immediately after finding them. When it is necessary to work in the field or camp, camping equipment such as clothes and tents can be soaked in pesticides, such as permethrin, DEET-containing repellent, etc.

　　Tick disease can be "transmitted from person to person," and families should take care of it carefully

　　It is worth noting that the fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus was detected in the urine, feces, and saliva of patients with fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. Close contact with the patient's blood, feces, and secretions can lead to infection. Family members, especially those who accompany them, should pay attention to self-protection. When contacting patients, pay attention to protective facilities and avoid contact with the patient's blood, body fluids, or vomit. Because, in addition to tick bites that can infect the virus, normal people can also be infected through contact with the patient's blood, body fluids, secretions, or vomit.

　　In recent years, Gulou Hospital has found and confirmed many cases of infection caused by family members taking care of patients. Therefore, unlike other insect-borne diseases, fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus can be transmitted from person to person. It is very important to understand this, especially for the family members of those who are already sick. They need to be vigilant to prevent the infection from taking care of the patient.

　　Do not pull hard after being bitten by a tick, and seek medical attention promptly if you have symptoms

　　Ticks are often attached to the scalp, waist, armpits, groin, and ankles of the human body. Once a tick is found to have bitten or penetrated the skin, alcohol can be applied to the tick to relax or die, and then use pointed tweezers to remove the tick, or use cigarette butts or incense to gently scald the part of the tick exposed to the outside body, so that the head slowly withdraws on its own. Pay attention to safety when scalding the tick, do not pull it hard, so as not to scratch the skin, or leave the tick's head in the skin.