860 people applied for aid after tick bites in South Kazakhstan oblast

860 people applied for aid after having been bitten by ticks in South Kazakhstan oblast, Otyrar channel reports. "860 cases have been registered since the beginning of the year. 13 of the bitten are at hospitals with their condition closely monitored and all the others are at home but monitored as well. Following the order of the Healthcare Ministry we must monitor all our tick bitten patients for 14 days to make sure no case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever manifest themselves," Deputy Chief Doctor of Infectious Hospital of the region Bakhyt Myrzaliyev said. According to Myrzaliyev, out of 1229 cases of tick bites registered last year Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever was officially was diagnosed only in 11 cases; two people dead of it last year. "That is exactly why I am once against calling our citizens to apply for professional medical aid if bitten by a tick. The most noticeable symptoms of the disease are sharp rise of body temperature and hematomas on the tick bite place. Be very carefully when removing a tick, cover it with a drop of oil first and make sure to use pincers," Myrzaliyev added.