Scientists are working on a special app that will help monitor ticks
Soon, residents of Europe – and therefore Poland – will have access to a special application for monitoring the occurrence of ticks. “Scientists are working on implementing the application as part of an EU project,” reports the Polish Press Agency.
Citizens of European Union countries will be able to actively help researchers by entering current data into the application, which will be verified and analyzed, and then plotted on a map. The program is primarily aimed at informing the public about ticks and diseases that are carried by arachnids that are dangerous to health.
The app will collect data on ticks. There will be a lot of useful information there
Europeans will be able to send scientists photos of ticks with information about where they found the specimen and – if they are bitten – whether they developed symptoms of the disease and after how long. All of this will be carefully verified and analyzed, journalists report.
The app’s authors will also create guides on prevention and diagnostics, as well as gather other useful information in one place. There will be descriptions of diseases transmitted by ticks, as well as tips on how to remove the arachnid once it has implanted itself in the skin.
PAP reports that in addition to spreading knowledge about ticks, the application is also intended to promote vaccinations (currently, the only available preparation helps in the fight against tick-borne encephalitis – TBE). In addition, the application user will have access to information about the occurrence of ticks – a map will be created, marking the species of the arachnid and the diseases it can carry in a given region.
How to remove a tick? Do not twist the tweezers
Recently, scientists from Warsaw have launched a project to search for exotic Hyalomma ticks. They pose a serious threat to humans because they can transmit a virus for which there is no vaccine and which can cause hemorrhagic fever. As part of the “National Tick Hunting” campaign, researchers are asking for help in marking their presence on the map of Poland.
How to remove an arachnid? If a tick bites your skin, you should remove it as soon as possible before it can infect you with the pathogen that is in its body. You should grab the potentially dangerous arthropod right by the head and pull it upwards. The movement itself should be smooth and decisive. Do not twist the tweezers. The bite site should be disinfected and then observed for any redness. If this occurs, you should see a doctor. It may mean that you have Lyme disease and need to take antibiotics.