Health Board specialist: borreliosis is dangerous because it can be contracted multiple times
Estonia is seeing an increase in tick-borne diseases. A specialist says borreliosis has no vaccine and people can fall ill with it more than once.
Estonia has recorded a rise in cases of borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis, according to Julia Geller, a specialist at the Health Board. She stressed that borreliosis is particularly dangerous because it is possible to catch it several times.
Musician Ruslan Trochinsky said the most dangerous animal in Estonian forests is not a wolf or a bear, but a tick. While preparing bath brooms on St. John's Day, he was bitten by a tick and only noticed it the next day. A day later symptoms appeared: headache, fever and joint pain. A doctor diagnosed borreliosis. After taking antibiotics, he felt worse within a couple of days, developed a high fever and went to the emergency department. He was admitted to neurology, where meningitis and encephalitis were found.
Since the beginning of the year, about 1,200 cases of borreliosis and 50 cases of encephalitis have been registered in Estonia. Although the figures are in line with last year, specialists see a trend towards growth. Geller said the increase is not sudden, but over a period of five to ten years, incidence has been rising.
There are almost no places in Estonia completely free of ticks. Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain that appears two to 21 days after infection. If a high fever and headache occur after a tick bite, a doctor should be consulted. Borreliosis, however, can remain unnoticed for a long time. Geller added that there is no vaccine against borreliosis, it is usually treated with antibiotics, and symptoms may not emerge for a week or even several months.
A ring-shaped rash around the tick bite is a typical sign of borreliosis, but about 30% of patients do not develop it. Therefore, unusual fatigue or joint pain after a bite should prompt a visit to a doctor. Without timely treatment, the disease can enter a second stage that is harder to diagnose.
Family doctor Reet Laidoja noted that the infection can affect the nervous system, joints and heart, causing various symptoms. If the cause cannot be identified, doctors often suspect borreliosis, and a blood test is usually the first step. Doctors recommend checking yourself after being in the forest – the sooner a tick is removed, the lower the risk of infection. A vaccine is available to protect against tick-borne encephalitis.
