Nearly 386,000 people in Russia had sought medical attention for tick bites by mid-July 2026, according to official medical data. Health experts warned that the parasites carry dangerous infectious diseases, including tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease, while infection signs often appear days or weeks after an unnoticed bite.
Elena Pashina, an infectious disease specialist at the Moscow clinic network Polyclinic.ru, said tick bites are virtually impossible to notice as they happen because tick saliva contains local anesthetic substances. The natural numbing agent prevents individuals from feeling either the initial skin puncture or the blood-feeding process.
Ticks seek out body areas with thin skin and close blood vessels, including between fingers, behind ears, on the neck, in armpits, in the groin area, under knees, on the abdomen, and within hair. Parasites may crawl across clothing or skin for several hours searching for an optimal site before attaching.
Pashina noted that a tick can feed on human blood for up to five days if left undetected. During this period, the body of the parasite expands to more than twice its original size, growing from 4 millimeters to 10 millimeters and resembling a gray or brownish swollen pea. Once fully engorged, the tick detaches on its own, leaving a small red mark similar to a mosquito bite.
The physical bite itself is not inherently dangerous and local skin reactions are typically limited to mild itching and swelling that resolve within a few days without lasting effects, Pashina said. However, ticks can transmit serious pathogens that attack the nervous system, joints, and internal organs, occasionally resulting in death. The risk of disease transmission increases with the duration of tick attachment.
Olga Shipulina, a candidate of medical sciences and director of the molecular genetic research department at LabQuest, explained that incubation periods for tick-borne infections range from several days to several weeks. Patients frequently learn of an infection only after experiencing a sudden, unexplained deterioration in general health.
Initial symptoms include a high fever of 38 to 39 degrees Celsius, severe weakness, persistent headaches that persist despite rest, muscle and joint aches, chills, and enlarged lymph nodes near the bite site. Shipulina noted that while these signs resemble flu symptoms, tick-borne illnesses differ by frequently causing unusual body rashes or distinct skin changes. Doctors in Siberia routinely inquire about tick bites even when patients present with ordinary flu-like complaints.
Specific diseases carried by ticks
Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral infection that attacks the central nervous system, specifically targeting the brain and surrounding membranes. The virus can enter the bloodstream within the first few hours of tick attachment. The disease develops acutely over an average incubation period of 7 to 14 days, causing a sudden fever of 38 to 40 degrees Celsius, severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, and extreme weakness. Without timely medical treatment, encephalitis can lead to severe health complications, permanent disability, or death.
Lyme disease, also known as tick-borne borreliosis, is a bacterial infection caused by Borrelia bacteria, which are usually transmitted after a tick remains attached for more than 24 to 36 hours. The primary indicator of Lyme disease is erythema migrans, an expanding ring-shaped pink or red rash exceeding 5 centimeters in diameter with a pale center that forms around the bite site after 3 to 30 days, averaging 7 to 14 days. This rash appears in 60 to 80 percent of infected patients. Untreated Lyme disease can cause severe damage to the musculoskeletal, nervous, and cardiovascular systems.
Tick-borne rickettsiosis, or spotted fever, is a bacterial infection caused by intracellular Rickettsia microorganisms that attack blood vessel walls. Following an incubation period averaging 1 to 16 days, which can shorten to 1 to 2 days in severe cases, the illness causes fevers of 38 to 40 degrees Celsius, chills, weakness, body aches, headaches, nausea, vomiting, a dark crust at the bite location, and a body rash. Prompt antibiotic therapy leads to complete recovery, whereas untreated cases risk severe damage to blood vessels and internal organs.
Other dangerous tick-borne infections include granulocytic anaplasmosis and monocytic ehrlichiosis, both of which trigger high fever, severe headaches, and body aches. Medical professionals reported that prompt medical consultation allows treatment to produce positive results and prevent long-term complications in most cases.
First aid and tick removal procedures
Health specialists recommend visiting the nearest emergency room or trauma clinic immediately upon discovering an attached tick, as medical facilities operate 24 hours a day and can remove parasites under sterile, safe conditions. Rapid removal is critical because the risk of pathogen transmission depends directly on how long the tick remains attached.
If immediate access to a medical professional is not possible, Pashina advised removing the tick independently using tweezers or a specialized tick removal tool. The parasite should be grasped at its very base, as close to the skin surface as possible, and pulled upward with a smooth, steady motion without sudden jerks or twisting. Care must be taken not to squeeze the tick's abdomen.
If the tick's head or mouthparts break off and remain embedded in the skin, they can be removed using a sterile needle before the area is disinfected, though experts advise leaving this step to a physician when possible. Once the tick is removed, the bite location should be disinfected with an antiseptic such as chlorhexidine, iodine, alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide, followed by thorough handwashing with soap and water.
The extracted tick must be preserved for laboratory analysis by placing it inside a small, tightly sealed glass or plastic container and bringing it to a laboratory within three days. Doctors recommend requesting a multi-pathogen test, as a single tick can transmit multiple infections simultaneously.
Patients living in or visiting areas with a known risk of tick-borne encephalitis may require emergency administration of immunoglobulin during the first days following a bite, a measure decided by a physician after laboratory test results arrive. Individuals should monitor their health for a full month after a tick bite and consult an infectious disease specialist immediately if any symptoms develop.
Unsafe extraction methods to avoid
Pashina strongly warned against using home remedies to remove ticks, advising against pouring oil, cream, alcohol, or nail polish onto the parasite, or applying heat. Such actions cause the tick to inject larger quantities of infected saliva into the wound and can damage the specimen, making laboratory testing impossible.
Health experts stated that individuals must never crush a tick with fingers or objects, because crushing allows pathogens to enter the body through damaged skin or mucous membranes. Abruptly pulling the parasite must also be avoided, as it tears off the head and mouthparts inside the skin to trigger inflammation, while applying oily liquids prior to removal creates a greenhouse effect that prompts active saliva injection.
Preventative measures and outdoor safety
Outdoor protection requires wearing appropriate clothing when visiting forests, parks, or picnic spots where ticks live. Clothing should fully cover arms and legs, with trouser legs tucked into socks or boots, and headwear should be worn. Light-colored shirts and jackets make dark ticks easily visible, and tick repellents in spray form should be applied to clothing and exposed skin prior to departure.
Visitors should stay on established paths and avoid tall grass and dense brush along forest edges, riverbanks, and shaded areas where tick concentrations are highest. Upon returning home, a thorough inspection of clothing, skin, and hair should be performed, and pet fur should be examined carefully for ticks after walks.
Vaccination provides the most effective protection against tick-borne encephalitis, but the two-to-three dose series must be completed in advance rather than during peak season. Specialists emphasized that the encephalitis vaccine offers no protection against Lyme disease, rickettsioses, anaplasmosis, or ehrlichiosis.
Ticks remain active whenever air temperatures stay above 6 degrees Celsius. The overall tick season runs from April to October, extending longer during warm autumn weather, with peak activity occurring in May and from late August through September.
