Why in the USSR there was no problem with ticks and tick-borne encephalitis? Recently, some diseases that were considered rare or very rare 20 years ago have suddenly begun to spread rapidly. The tick-borne encephalitis virus was discovered in 1937, when a team of doctors and biologists led by virologist Lev Zilber went on an expedition to the Far East to find out what was killing hundreds of people. local residents, and survivors remain disabled, often paralyzed. Scientists isolated the virus from the tissues of sick and dead people, and then found it in the body of ixodid ticks. One of the expedition members, Mikhail Chumakov, contracted encephalitis during the autopsy. He survived, but the disease became chronic, the scientist became deaf, and his right hand paralyzed. As a result of the expedition, it was finally proven that it is ticks that transmit encephalitis and infect people when they stick to feed on blood. Encephalitis is a very dangerous disease: severe lesions nervous system develop in 10-20% of infected people, 1-2% die. Recently, alarming, sometimes even panicky messages have appeared in the media that the disease is becoming more and more rampant every year and that soon there will be no escape from it anywhere. “There has been a pronounced increase in incidence since the early 90s, but since 2002 it has been falling in most regions,” Alexey Nikitin, doctor, told Cherdak. biological sciences, leading researcher of the zoological and parasitological department of the Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East. Encephalitis is caused by viruses of the Flaviviridae family, which are transmitted mainly by arthropods. “Brothers” of encephalitis in the family - yellow fever virus, dengue fever virus, hepatitis C virus - are like a selection of unpleasant guys. The diseases they cause are poorly treated and tend to kill the owner as quickly as possible. A good bad reagent In addition to its domestic use as a means of controlling pests such as flies, cockroaches and moths, as well as its agricultural benefits as a means of controlling pests such as the Colorado potato beetle and aphids, DDT has a number of generally recognized merits on a global scale, Among them, the most significant are the following: In January 1944, with the help of DDT, a typhoid epidemic in Naples was prevented. In addition to DDT's effectiveness against typhus, the insecticide was found to be relatively harmless: 1.3 million people were sprayed with approximately 15 grams of 5% dust, and no harmful effects were reported in humans, other than a few cases of skin irritation. :679 This is the first winter epidemic of lice-borne typhus to be stopped. [source not specified 2880 days] Significant successes of DDT in the fight against typhus were then achieved in Egypt, Mexico, Colombia and Guatemala.:679 In India thanks to DDT in 1965 Not a single person died from malaria, while in 1948 3 million people died. According to the WHO, anti-malaria campaigns using DDT saved 5 million lives. In Greece in 1938 there were a million people with malaria, but in 1959 there were only 1,200 people. In the Italian province of Latia in 1945, the mortality rate from malaria per month was 65-70 people, and after DDT began to be used, it dropped to 1-2 people in 1946. [source not specified 2880 days] Over the five years of the campaign to eradicate malaria in Italy, launched by A. Missiroli, by 1949 mosquitoes that carry malaria had practically disappeared from the country.:679 The use of DDT as part of the malaria control program largely saved India from visceral leishmaniasis (carried by mosquitoes) in 1950- e years. After the cessation of insecticide use, epidemics of visceral leishmaniasis resurfaced in the 1970s. Use of DDT in agriculture significantly increased yields:679 and was a key factor in the development of the so-called Green Revolution:99. “In the USSR, DDT was used to control ticks. This substance persists in the environment for a long time, so the area was treated every three to five years. They used it on a large scale: for example, the 70-kilometer-long Baikal highway was sprinkled with dust from an airplane,” says Nikitin. DDT's persistence is also its main drawback: studies have shown that it accumulates in food chains, affecting fish and birds laying eggs with defective shells. In the 1960s, scientists even discovered damaged eggs in penguins! There were clear traces of DDT in the livers of the birds themselves, although the reagent was not used in Antarctica or its environs. It entered the penguins' bodies through food chains: herbivores ate grass sprinkled with dust, then, as expected, they became victims of predators, which, in turn, were eaten by larger predators. The remains of carnivores and herbivores decomposed, DDT entered the soil, and the cycle repeated. Thus, the world quickly gained positive experience with the use of DDT. This experience became the reason rapid growth production and use of DDT. The increase in the production and use of DDT was not the only consequence of the “positive experience”. It was also the reason for the formation in people’s minds of erroneous ideas about the non-toxicity of DDT, which, in turn, led to the cultivation of carelessness in the use of DDT and a negligent attitude towards safety standards. DDT was used anywhere and everywhere without complying with the requirements established by sanitary and epidemiological standards. The current situation could not but lead to negative consequences. In the 1970s and 1980s, almost all countries banned the use of DDT for pest control. Modern drugs are comparable to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (as DDT stands for) in effectiveness, but they break down very quickly - thanks to this they do not accumulate in the environment and in the organisms of living beings. “Suppose you cultivate the land in early April, after a month the drug no longer works. And ticks emerge gradually until mid-summer, so those that appear in May will crawl out into clean territory,” explains Nikitin. Sources.
and why were there almost no ticks in the USSR, and after the collapse, ticks bite everyone already in the winter, before I remember there were only gadflies! and got the best answer
Answer from Nikolay Smirnov[guru]
the treatment was carried out with DDT dust, which was banned after the USSR because it was poisonous; in addition, there were large collective farm fields and now everything is abandoned and all sorts of rats and others are climbing there and carrying them
Answer from Ihupacabra Alekseevich[active]
pincers - Stalinists
Answer from Andrey.[guru]
In the USSR they were poisoned, they were sprayed with some nasty stuff from airplanes.
Answer from Nikolay Prikhodko[guru]
There was only no information, there was an iron curtain.
Answer from Nikolay Khomyakov[guru]
Stopped treating ticks.
Answer from Genek ivanov[guru]
maybe they were brought in as Colorado ones?
Answer from Return of the Great Hare[guru]
because forests used to be sprayed with anti-insect solutions from airplanes
Answer from OxO[guru]
because they were treating mosquitoes, ticks and all kinds of beetles... you haven’t seen that in Ukraine... there in Azov, black beetles crawl out at night... the entire territory of the hotel... you go and crunch like chips...
Answer from Oriy Ivanov[guru]
That's why there wasn't Colorado potato beetles, donated in quotes by Pindostan.
Answer from ABERS ABERS[guru]
But in the USSR there were cockroaches)), but now they have all gone somewhere!-))
Answer from DDT[guru]
Now almost everyone has a car under their butt..)). . So all and sundry are wandering through the forests, having nothing to do, and at every opportunity for the ticks to enjoy))
Answer from Igor Gosudarev[guru]
Democracy, sir!
Ticks were democratically allowed to bite.
P.S.
The contours, like flying creatures, were sent by the evil bourgeoisie
Answer from Alexander Assassin(Luna Wolf)[guru]
Who told you that there were no ticks???? Every spring and autumn they were angry and even awarded with encephalitis!
Answer from Landr[guru]
There was prevention. And first aid. Mouse fever is even worse now - we're dying...
Answer from Andrey Tsarenok[guru]
We didn’t spray anything, and there were mites like cockroaches.
Answer from JAB[guru]
About 50 years ago, and it was in the USSR that a tick finally bit me! Since then I have to answer stupid questions.
Answer from Angels Root[guru]
In the USSR, insects and ticks were also systematically controlled. Treatment was carried out every year. Were special services. Now, probably, until the tick bites one of the deputies or members of the Government, the matter will not move forward with dead center. Throw them ticks in the Duma or what?
Answer from Dmitry Pushkarev[guru]
The climate is changing And when we went to the taiga we always got vaccinations against encephalitis
Answer from The last of the Mohicans[guru]
And they say that there was no sex in the USSR, but it turns out there were no ticks either.
Answer from Polina Kozhemyaka[newbie]
Do not make me laugh! Yes, they used to want to cut on these ticks! They're telling you right now - Oh! Ticks! Oh it's harmful! Oh! They bite! . So they worked the same way before! Just before, the party said it was necessary, the Komsomol replied, EAT! Well, you need to switch your attention to something. Ticks. swine flu, pitichi, what else happened? Otherwise, the rednecks will see that the government wanted to nag them! Under Stalin there were cogs, right now, a protectorate type. Oh mom!
Answer from Galina Makarchenko[guru]
Taiga, forests were processed from the air..
Answer from 3 answers[guru]
Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: why were there almost no ticks in the USSR, and after the collapse ticks bite everyone already in the winter, before I remember there were only gadflies!
Recently, more and more ticks have appeared in some regions of Russia. Citizens suffer from their bites; many end up in hospitals. I remember that in the USSR there were much fewer of them, so the problem was not so acute.
There were, of course, ticks on the territory of the USSR, but not in such numbers as today. In those days there were no problems with these insects, which were carriers of dangerous diseases. Over the past five years, 400,000 - 500,000 Russians seek medical help after their bites every year.
Why were there fewer ticks in the USSR than forests were cultivated in those days?
Of course, in the USSR, ticks also caused fear, therefore, when going into the forests, everyone always put on clothes with long sleeves and covered their heads with hats, but they were still not very concerned and cautious. Scientists learned about encephalitis not so long ago: it was first described in 1935. Two years later, virologist Zilberg discovered the tick-borne encephalitis virus in the tissues of infected people and in insects. Borreliosis was discovered in 1985, and only in 1971 was it added to the list of diseases.
As soon as the first deaths from encephalitis were registered and their causes were established, the USSR authorities began to take measures. There were fewer ticks when they began treating forests, areas near pioneer camps, and children's sanatoriums with dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). The areas were also treated with trichlorvos. Processing was carried out by ground methods, but more often by air.
City parks, forest belts, suburban forests with forest roads, and paths were treated with dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. This was usually done in early spring, until the snow melted. This method of controlling ticks turned out to be very effective: sometimes there were no insects for 2-5 years. At the end of the eighties, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane was banned in the USSR because it turned out to be harmful to the environment and humans. Substance for a long time persisted in soil, plants, water, entered the human body, and created a health hazard.
According to scientists, the number of ticks has increased due to global warming. They survive well in warm winters, and also due to the fact that spring comes earlier, they multiply and spread. Experts consider dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane to be truly irreplaceable and the most effective substance, but it had to be replaced with chemicals less dangerous to human health. They do not accumulate in soil or water, so they quickly become ineffective and have no effect on ticks.
Five important issues about ticks and the consequences of their bites
Today, even the most cautious are not immune from the danger of catching a tick. A harmful tick can attach itself in a city park, in a country house, in a forest, in a yard own home... The precautions taken (covered clothing, repellents and skin inspections every half hour) also do not always save. Why does this happen and what to do to feel safe? Experts helped you find answers to the questions that are on the tip of your tongue. regional center hygiene, epidemiology and public health.
1. Why are there so many ticks?
There are many of them now not only in Belarus. An increase in the number of ticks and a rise in the incidence of tick-borne infections are observed in almost all countries middle zone Eurasian continent. According to experts, for tick-borne infections is characterized by a certain cyclical nature. When our parents remember that there were no ticks for 20-30 years, and even if someone was bitten, he did not get sick, then this is true. A similar problem occurred in the late 40s and early 50s, with about 80% of tick-borne encephalitis cases recorded in Byelorussian SSR, were associated with the dairy factor (during the war, the Germans exported almost all livestock, people began to raise goats to feed their families, and goats are more vulnerable to tick-borne infections than cows). By the mid-60s, there was a decline, and in the 70-80s, cases of tick-borne infections were rare. The next rise began in 1992 throughout the northern hemisphere and continues to this day. Scientists disagree on what causes this cyclicality. According to one theory, it is associated with outbreaks of solar activity and social factors(weakened immunity due to stress).
2. Can ticks breed because forests are no longer treated with dust?
In Belarus, forests have never been treated with dust. In Siberia, experimental work was carried out to treat certain regions, but the effect was zero: after 30-40 days, the territory was repopulated with ticks, and serious damage was caused to wildlife. Nowhere in the world are forests currently treated for ticks. We can talk about local treatments (territories of children's health camps, sanatoriums before the arrival of vacationers, etc.) with the most gentle preparations. The main treatment consists of mowing the grass (this disrupts the tick's habitat) and laying out baits for mice, which are both the source and carrier of the infection. The problem is that the largest natural encephalitis foci are located on the territory of nature reserves and reserves, where human intervention environment unacceptable.
3. What to do if bitten by a tick?
4. How to check whether you have become infected if you did not have the opportunity to submit a tick for examination?
You can go to the laboratory yourself (Svoboda Square, 8) and take a blood test for tick-borne infections. If there are no symptoms, the service is paid (the “tick-borne encephalitis plus Lyme borreliosis” package costs 21 rubles 84 kopecks “new”). You need to donate blood 3-4 weeks after the bite so that antibodies have time to form (for encephalitis - on the 9-10th day). The incubation period for tick-borne encephalitis ranges from 24 hours to 14 days (in 80% of cases). For Lyme borreliosis - up to a month. A negative test result for encephalitis means that there was no infection. For Lyme borreliosis it is more complicated. It’s not for nothing that the infection is called a “chameleon” - it can slowly and imperceptibly develop in the human body and manifest itself even after several years in the most different forms- in the form of colds, erythema (a characteristic spot at the site of the bite - appears in 60-70% of cases), heart disease, headaches and joint pain. It is necessary to monitor the level of antibodies in the blood. If the result is positive, the infectious disease doctor will prescribe an appropriate examination. It is important to monitor the situation for at least six months.
5. If a tick bites and it turns out that it is infected with encephalitis, will the person necessarily get sick?
No, if it is a tick not from an encephalitis focus. In the Brest region there are several natural encephalitis foci, where tick infection with encephalitis ranges from 20 to 50%. This is all Belovezhskaya Pushcha, including the territory of the central estate in Kamenyuki, Ruzhanskaya Pushcha and the so-called Kossovo zone adjacent to it, Bronnaya Gora in the Berezovsky district and a forest area in the Maloritsky district adjacent to Shatsky national park(border with Ukraine). These are active outbreaks, and the risk of infection here is very high. If you pick up an infected tick in the vicinity of Brest, this only means that you received a small vaccination. To grow an “aggressive” tick, you need a set of certain natural factors, biological and non-biological: wooded area, soil structure, humidity, etc. Including the abundance of wild animals that transmit ticks from one species to another. The Western (Central European) type of the virus, characteristic of our area, in contrast to the Far Eastern and Ural-Siberian variant of the virus, is not so dangerous to humans and does not cause deaths or disability. Over 60 years of observation, only two fatal cases were identified. Doctors explain them by simultaneous infection with several types of tick-borne infections against the background of chronic diseases and weakened immunity.
From my own experience, I can say that ticks are really in last years conquer new territories. In my native Lipetsk region 20-25 years ago they simply did not exist. Nowadays it’s a rare trip to the forest or even to the garden without a tick found on clothing.
Environmentalists believe that this is due to slow climate change, which people do not notice, but ticks - very much so. Below I will quote the opinion of WWF Russia on this topic.
“In the forests of the Moscow region and a number of neighboring regions, ixodid ticks have appeared - small spiders that carry very serious diseases: encephalitis, Lyme disease, borreliosis.
According to WWF, there is a direct connection between this phenomenon and climate change. “Increasingly frequent warm winter and spring months lead to the fact that a larger percentage of ticks successfully overwinter, their numbers grow and they spread throughout larger territory“, says Alexey Kokorin, head of the Climate and Energy program at WWF Russia.
As a result, in regions where ticks have always been present, there are even more of them. This Perm region, Vologda, Kostroma, Kirov and other regions, Siberia and the Far East. However, this is not the greatest danger, since in these regions the population has long been accustomed to the presence of tick-borne danger, and people know how to dress and behave in the forest, many have been and are vaccinated. What’s worse is that ticks have appeared in places where they are “not known,” WWF notes. They spread in all directions: and to the north Arkhangelsk region, and the west, and even the south of Russia, where the population is largest and the problem is most acute. If previously only two of the most dangerous in relation to tick-borne encephalitis were considered northern regions Moscow region - Taldomsky and Dmitrovsky, now ticks have been spotted in the middle part of the region and even in the south.
Note that the infestation of the ticks themselves has not changed. Still carriers of the most dangerous disease– encephalitis - only 1-2 ticks out of a thousand occur. Other diseases - several dozen out of a thousand. But the number of ticks themselves has increased and, most importantly, they have appeared in new places.
“Some people panic and don’t go into the forest at all (what will they do when ticks come to them? summer cottages?), others believe that the danger is greatly exaggerated by doctors. Both are completely wrong,” WWF notes. “Of course, very few people get sick, but the disease is terrible, encephalitis is virtually incurable, as a rule, a person remains disabled for life, and there are also fatal cases.”
The most dangerous months, when ticks are most active, are May and June, although outbreaks of activity also occur in late summer. The most dangerous places are small forests of deciduous trees - young birch and aspen forests, forest edges and areas of forest with tall grass. Coniferous forests are much less dangerous, especially if there is little grass in them.
Ways to survive in the vicinity of ticks are known, this is both correct prevention and health care. Clothing should not allow ticks to crawl under it - there should be no bare legs or arms. The best protection is a light jacket with long sleeves with elastic and a hood that fits tightly to the face - back in the middle of the last century, geologists nicknamed it “encephalitis” and was worn everywhere in Siberia and the Far East. “Children should not be allowed to play in the most dangerous places, there is no need to have picnics there or sit on the grass. It is very important to teach this to children and talk about ticks in schools,” WWF experts add.
It is also important to know that the tick does not bite immediately; it crawls under clothing for quite a long time and looks for secluded places in the folds of the body. Therefore, a basic examination of yourself or your children gives a lot - you can simply remove the tick. If it has already clung to the skin, it must be carefully pulled out. This requires a certain skill, otherwise you will remove the body, but the most dangerous thing - the head of the tick - will remain not removed.
It is better to consult a doctor, especially since only they can determine whether a tick is safe or not. You can get vaccinated in advance. You can take prophylactic medications, but they do not have much effect. It is much more important to promptly take medications (both tablets and injections, although they are very expensive) if a tick has bitten you.
Don't forget about your pets. Ticks bite dogs very actively, but their diseases are different, milder than those of humans. Therefore, of course, after a walk the dog should be examined and ticks removed, and if it feels unwell, contact a veterinarian. But in general, you should treat ticks on your dog more or less calmly; this is more of a signal for you - ticks are here!
“Climate change forecasts for the coming decades clearly say that the trends will not change, which means that the ticks themselves will not crawl away and die, and the problem will only worsen. Kill ticks with some kind chemicals It’s also difficult, this can be done in and around kindergartens of children’s institutions, but not in forests. The tick problem must be taken seriously,” concludes WWF.