Foto: Baxter
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Now when the nice weather drive us out to enjoy the nature, it also brings other less pleasant things in our way: Ticks!
We have a bunch of Roedeer’s coming here very often to eat of the birdfood the neighbours put out at the next house. The Roedeers are cute, butt I don’t really like this, because they are known to be hosts for a lot of Ticks and that is one creature I for sure don’t want here!
I read somewhere (don’t remember where) that Ticks have been around for a hundred million of years. They’re so old that they used to feed from dinosaur blood. Though I can’t remember that we ever have had this much Ticks during my whole life as there is nowadays.
Out in the Swedish east coast there is many ticks. I guess they like the humidity, I read that they must have that to thrive – and mild winters. I just find it so sad that we’re not able to really relax and enjoy the nature without being afraid of getting tick bites.
One of my sisters lives out at the coast in the beginning of the archipelago and it’s just full of ticks there. They have to trim the lawn very short, you can’t go anywhere where it is any high grass, because you’ll for certain have one or more ticks walking along your legs then!
Tickborne encephalitis (TBE) is a viral infection of the central nervous system transmitted by bites of ticks or by consuming unpasteurized dairy products from infected cows, goats, or sheep. The risk of getting TBE is greatest between April-August, when the tick (Ixodes ricinus) is most active over here.
Sweden has not as much cases of TBE as certain other European countries, butt it’s still too much for me to feel comfortable with it.
We’re getting vaccinated now, had our first one a couple of weeks ago and going in for a second one in the end of May, then we have protection for a year. After next years shot, we’ll have take a shot every 3 years to keep the protection.
TBE is a very nasty disease if you happens to belong to the little group where it progress into a neurologic infektion. The death-rate of TBE (in Europe) is 0.5% and a post-encephalitic syndrome and neurologic secundary disease is seen in over 40% of the cases, often with an impact of their life quality.
I’m not sure if it would make any difference in my nut case…. *giggles*
There is no treatment. Luckily the vaccine seem to be very effective, not 100% though, so you’re wise if you continue to protect yourself after the vaccination by avoiding tick-infested areas, cover your body with clothes, using reppellants and not consume any unpasteurized dairy products.
Even if you haven’t that much of Ticks or TBE in your country, I recommend you to get the vaccination anyway, since it’s increasing beacuse of the Global Warming – and especially if you travel.
We got our vaccinations by our local medical center (vårdcentralen) which have some open receptions for TBE-vaccinations at certain dates. There is even special Ticks-buses driving around in Sweden to get out to the people.
The vaccinations costs about 250 Swedish crowns ($36.65) per vaccination – wouldn’t you say it’s a cheap life insurance?
Have a look at Baxters cute (?) animation of the tick where you also can read everything else about ticks and the vaccination.
Now, I’m going to forget about unpleasant things like ticks and take off to have a smashing time with Mar in Hamburg at our Sunday cruise stop – come along you too!
Captain Shot Lifecruiser
Sundays port: Wilkommen Höft in Hamburg.
Host: Mar.
Next port: Monday 14th of May – Greek Festival, US.
Host: Sword Girl
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We are having a huge ticks problem in Poland this year, too. The winter was very mild and now there are billions and zillions of these little bastards everywhere. A vaccination is a wise way to avoid real trouble.
hello friend…long time me being here, sorry, miss you though.
hope your back has been well and that your mom is too. i am doing my happy mother day’s rounds so i’m here to leave you with some happy wishes for all the moms in your world.
i hope to be back to blogging regularly but until i do, know that i keep you close to my heart.
No ticks to report around this area although pet owners tell me the opposite…
Take good care of yourself!
and thanks for coming along to Hamburg
Yes, ticks are a real problem but I thought only countries like Östereich (Autriche) had problem with TBE! We have many ticks here when you live with animals in the nature like me and my cats wich are often out. I notice there are summers with a lot of mouses, summers with a lot of fleas…it could be this year a summer with a lot of ticks! I didn’t hear about this vaccination. I will take informations.
Very interesting article you have posted today. Thanks for cruising by my blog and leaving a message.
I totally understand your affection for ticks. I believe that they are the worse things in the world. I don’t know how many dogs I have dealt with that have had ticks on them and it freaks me out. Such dirty pieces of crap. Good luck with your summer battle.
Wow, I didn’t know about TBE. My boyfriend had something like a tick attached to his stomach and leg after we went hiking. They were hard to pull off, but they came off in the shower. I guess they were ticks :-/.
I love your blog design!
Hopefully it’s something we don’t have to worry about in England…yet…things are changing all the time as far as pests and diseases are concerned.
We’re having a pretty good year so far, tick-wise, but they are always with us in Hawaii. Nasty critters. I just treated my yeard and kennel for fleas, which have been bad lately. The spray is good for keeping ticks down, too, so hopefully I won’t have too bad a problem with them any time soon.
Ticks – grrrr. We too have had more and more of them the recent years. And we do take precautions when we work in the Garden. No bare arms or legs.
But the Cats, they do not take any precaution, and they hate the spray we have bought for them. Luckely, they are very clever to tell us when they have got Ticks in their furs. And we, of course, relief them and kill the beasts by burning them, just as we do with the Iberia Snails.
It’s raining cats and dogs here to day. Awful. It’s the return of the Green Winter.
Yesterday at the Greek festival, I saw a red bug of some sort crawling on my toe. It was itchy! :eek!:
I’ve got the Greek festival posted now Captain!
Oh, Chana, we’ve missed you! I’m so glad to hear that you’re better
In the US, ticks bring Lyme disease. I had never heard of Tickborne encephalitis! UGH!!!
One more reason to keep the dogs inside the house!
We don’t have this kind of problem in my country.
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ewwww ticks are so nasty