What should be done to prevent tick-borne encephalitis? - briefly
Avoid exposure to tick‑infested areas, wear long sleeves and trousers, apply EPA‑approved repellents, conduct daily body checks, and ensure vaccination for people in endemic regions. Prompt removal of attached ticks within 24 hours further reduces infection risk.
What should be done to prevent tick-borne encephalitis? - in detail
Effective prevention of tick‑borne encephalitis requires a coordinated approach that combines personal protection, immunisation, environmental control, and public‑health measures.
Personal protection measures:
- Wear long sleeves, long trousers, and closed shoes when entering forested or grassy areas.
- Treat clothing and gear with repellents containing permethrin; reapply according to product instructions.
- Apply skin‑surface repellents containing at least 20 % DEET, picaridin, or IR3535; reapply after sweating or water exposure.
- Perform thorough body checks after outdoor activities; remove attached ticks promptly with fine‑tipped tweezers, grasping the tick close to the skin and pulling straight upward.
Immunisation:
- Administer the inactivated vaccine according to the approved schedule (two primary doses spaced 1–3 months apart, followed by a booster after 5 years).
- Maintain vaccination records and ensure booster doses are given at recommended intervals, especially for individuals residing in or frequently visiting endemic regions.
Environmental management:
- Implement regular mowing of grass and removal of leaf litter in recreational areas to reduce tick habitat.
- Apply acaricides to high‑risk zones, following safety guidelines to minimise non‑target effects.
- Manage wildlife reservoirs (e.g., rodent control, deer population management) to lower tick density.
Public‑health actions:
- Conduct surveillance of tick populations and virus prevalence to identify hotspots.
- Provide community education on tick avoidance, proper removal techniques, and vaccine availability.
- Integrate tick‑borne encephalitis prevention into broader vector‑borne disease programs, ensuring resource allocation and policy support.
These interventions, applied together, reduce human exposure to infected ticks and lower the incidence of the disease.