Ticks of the genus Ixodes, which are carriers of pathogens of up to nine infectious diseases, are widespread on the territory of the Republic of Belarus. Of these, Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) and tick-borne encephalitis are most often recorded.

In the Vitebsk region, ticks live everywhere. With an increase in air temperature above +5 degrees, they begin to become more active, showing activity before the onset of cold weather. The favorite habitats of ticks are deciduous and mixed forests with dense grass and undergrowth. The largest number of ticks is concentrated on the grass along the sides of forest paths and paths. They crawl onto vegetation 1 to 1.5 meters from the ground and assume an active waiting posture to attack a person or animal passing nearby. A tick can smell a person at a distance of up to 10 meters. The maximum activity of ticks occurs in the period before the onset of daytime heat - before 12:00 and in the evening, after the heat subsides until dusk - after 18:00.

In recent years, tick attacks have become more frequently recorded in forested areas, in cities, in rural settlements, and in summer cottages.

The tick's body is flat. At the front end of the body there is a proboscis, with which it pierces the skin and sucks. Tick ​​suction, as a rule, does not cause pain and goes almost unnoticed by humans. Before sucking, ticks spend quite a long time (on average 30 minutes, sometimes up to 2 hours) choosing a suitable place. Favorite places for ticks to suction are the head, neck, armpits, chest, and inguinal folds.

In recent years, tick attacks have become more frequently recorded in forested areas, in cities, in rural settlements, and in summer cottages.

Over the 9 months of 2025, 82 people contacted health care organizations in the city of Polotsk and the Polotsk region about tick bites, 43 of them were children under 18 years of age.During the same period in 2024, 84 people sought medical help from healthcare organizations.

Geographically, cases of tick bites were recorded: on the territory of suburban dacha plots and rural areas - 26 (43.3%), forest areas - 4 (6.67%), on the territory of residential buildings in cities - 12 (20%), not established - 11 (18.33%), other places - 6 (10%), recreation areas - 0, LOU - 1 (1.7%).

Over 9 months of 2025, 38 cases of Lyme borreliosis were registered among the population of the Polotsk region.

Following simple precautions will help avoid tick attacks:

- when visiting the forest, you must wear a hat and light-colored clothing that maximally covers exposed areas of the body and prevents ticks from entering through the collar, sleeves and trousers; on light-colored clothes it is easier to notice crawling, unattached ticks;

- apply special tick repellents to clothes or skin of exposed areas of the body, which should be used strictly according to the instructions;

- conduct thorough self- and mutual examinations every 1 - 2 hours while in the forest and immediately after leaving the forest in order to detect and remove any crawling insects and ticks from clothing, carefully inspect clothing and skin;

- you should also examine your pets after forest walks: although dogs and cats do not suffer from tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis, ticks are dangerous for them as carriers of piroplasmosis; Special sprays, drops on the withers, etc. will help protect your pet from tick attacks; if you see a tick on an animal’s body, remove it with tweezers or special devices;

- do not bring flowers, branches, pine cones, or other vegetation with you from the forest - with them you can bring ticks into the house;

- organize parking and rest stops in the forest in well-lit and heated forest areas (clearings) with sparse grass vegetation (ticks cannot tolerate direct sunlight);

- Do not eat raw goat milk; it must be boiled before use.

If you find a tick attached to your body:

It is necessary to contact a health care institution at your place of residence or emergency room to remove the tick and consider prescribing emergency chemoprophylaxis by a doctor. You should contact the patient as soon as possible, since the maximum preventive effect is achieved only if emergency chemoprophylaxis is started in the first 72 hours after the tick bite.

If there are no contraindications to taking medications, the doctor will prescribe a course of emergency chemoprophylaxis; in this case, there is no need for laboratory testing of the attached tick. But if you wish, you can contact the laboratory yourself and submit the tick for a paid study.

The doctor will issue a referral for a free laboratory examination of the tick only if the victim has contraindications to taking emergency chemoprophylaxis medications; There are no other indications for free tick research.

The tick, either at the direction of the healthcare organization or at the request of the patient, is delivered to the laboratory independently, and it is desirable that the delivery be immediate (the optimal period is within 3 days after it is removed from the person). At the same time, the timing of delivery of a tick for examination at the request of the patient is not regulated by current regulatory documents.

Tests of ticks for the presence of pathogens of tick-borne infections are carried out

If a tick has become attached and there is no way to promptly seek medical help, you should remove it yourself in any available way:

- using specialized devices for removing industrial ticks - according to the instructions for use;

- using a cotton thread - it is tied into a knot as close as possible to the proboscis of the attached tick; the tick is removed by pulling it up in a circular motion, without sudden movements;

- using tweezers - for this, the tick is carefully pulled out by the abdomen, slightly rocking it with tweezers and twisting it; usually after 1 - 3 turns the tick is removed entirely;

Removing a tick with bare hands is strictly prohibited!

The entire tick must be removed; the abdomen must not be separated from the head. After removing the tick, the bite site must be treated with any alcohol-containing product and be sure to contact a health care facility to prescribe preventive treatment.

Preventive treatment against ticks of adjacent areas in populated areas and gardening partnerships is carried out on a paid basis by the State Institution “Polotsk Zonal Center for State Exposure” by the Department of Preventive Disinfection at the address: Polotsk, st. Yubileinaya, 7B. Contact phone: 8-0214-49-46-42.