Tics-borne diseases – global health threat
Ticks are abundant in woodlands all across Europe from early spring through late autumn. They survive by sucking blood from animals and occasionally bite humans. Ticks themselves do not cause disease but if a tick is infected with a virus or bacterium, pathogens can be transmitted through the tick’s bite and cause disease in humans. Ticks can transmit microorganisms that cause tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, tularemia, some rickettsia disease, babesiosis etc. All these diseases are related to significant morbidity and mortality, but the increase in incidence and the widening of geographical distribution represents an issue. In several European countries, as well as in Croatia, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is one of the most important human infections of the central nervous system. The risk of infection is especially high for all people living in or visiting endemic areas and pursuing outdoor activities in nature. TBE can easily be prevented by vaccination. Given the importance of transmitted diseases, which represent a global threat to health, health professionals must be familiar with the most frequent tics-transmitted diseases of Croatia, Europe and other continents, their diagnosis and treatment.
Key words:
encephalitis; ehrlichiosis; Lyme disease; ticks; vaccination
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