We must be guided by logic: an immunologist explains whether it is necessary to submit a tick found on yourself for testing

Spring is the time when ticks are most active, and their "season" begins in March-April, when the ground warms up enough. As the weather warms up, not only ticks become more active, but also people who start spending more time outdoors and run the risk of encountering these arthropods.

As you know, not all ticks carry pathogens of dangerous diseases, but their bites can threaten humans with about 150 diseases, including tick-borne viral encephalitis, Lyme disease (borreliosis), Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and others. With this in mind, if you are bitten by a tick, it is better to have it checked, immunologist Andriy Volyansky told OBOZ.UA.

According to him, it would be logical to do so.

"I have heard very different opinions, some say it makes no sense because it is not reliable and does not confirm anything. On the other hand, I have seen many cases when a tick is tested and the analysis confirms that there is borrelia and the person confidently starts taking antibiotics. Or vice versa, if there is no borrelia, they do not take antibiotics," the doctor explained.

He also said that most ticks live in forests, where people are most likely to encounter them. However, now there are a lot of ticks and their number is growing every year, so in addition to forests, it can be ponds and even just a garden.

Dr. Andriy Volyansky has 26 years of experience and is a national expert practitioner in the field of immunology. He is also a member of the Ukrainian Immunologists and Bacteriologists communities and specializes in the treatment of allergic, chronic and autoimmune diseases.

OBOZ.UA also told you how to protect yourself from tick bites - first of all, you need to deprive them of the opportunity to bite the skin. And if the bite could not be avoided, it should be remembered that the tick cannot be simply pulled out.

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