500 Almaty residents applied for aid after tick bites

Around 500 people have already applied for medical aid after tick bites in Almaty, KazTAG reports citing head of Almaty Department on Prevention of Parasitic Diseases of the State Sanitary-Epidemiological Control Alina Abirova. “As of today, around 500 people have already applied with tick bites in Almaty. The first case was registered on March 15,” Abirova told KazTAG on Thursday, April 26. She noted that anti-ticks treatment of parks and alleys kicked off on April 19. “The treatment started on April 19. First we treat city parks and alleys; then we will move to Butakovka, Medeu and Almaarasan gorges (foothills surrounding Almaty). We have already completed 6 regions,” she explained. Abirova also said that the chemicals used for anti-ticks treatment is safe for people. “The chemicals we use this year have been used for several years already. The solution has the chemicals concentration that is fatal for ticks. But it is safe for people,” she said. According to Abirova, the treatment starts at 5:00 a.m. and finishes before people go outside. Almaty of Department on Prevention of Parasitic Diseases recommends to abstain from going out to the countryside from March to October to avoid tick bites. According to the Department, the ticks are most widespread at the territories of Karasai, Talgar, Enbekshikazakh and other regions, but cases of bites also occur in Medeu, Koktobe and Butakovka areas, as well as in the parks and the alleys of the city. In case of the tick bite, the Department recommends to apply to seroprevention bureaus within 3-4 days after the bite to get an immunoglobulin shot against tick-borne encephalitis. For more instruction on what to do if you are bitten please see our previous tick story