Tick Repellent: These are simple precautions
Unfortunately, there is no one sure way to get rid of ticks. But you can protect your child from a tick bite with simple precautions. Vaccination is also possible – not against ticks themselves, but against one of the diseases that they can transmit. Find out here how the right clothing can prevent a tick bite and which vaccinations are available to protect your child from infections.
Simple protection against ticks: clothing
Ticks cavort particularly in forest and meadow areas or on the banks of rivers and lakes. They can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease , which can lead to meningitis or joint inflammation. But there is a simple protection against ticks: the right clothing.
- Dress your child in long trousers and long-sleeved tops when playing in the forest or garden. So there is only a little skin exposed for the little bloodsuckers to settle on.
- Stockings over the ends of trousers and closed-toe shoes also help to prevent ticks from settling, because then the little pests cannot crawl under clothing and get to the skin.
- Light-colored clothing and light-colored blankets for an outdoor picnic are very useful. Here you can discover the dark arachnids faster and remove them from your child’s environment.
In 2008, 20 anti-tick products were examined by Stiftung Warentest. The result was relatively unequivocal: many of the anti-tick agents on offer scored “inadequate” in the test. Above all, the specified duration of action was criticized: instead of the promised four or six hours of protection, the tested tick remedies worked on average for only one to three hours. In addition, many agents contained active ingredients that could trigger allergies or irritate the skin and mucous membranes. Natural active ingredients were not classified as less risky than synthetic ones. You should therefore think carefully about using a tick repellent for your child, because children in particular still have very sensitive skin. If you decide on an anti-tick agent, you should definitely pay attention to the age recommendation given on the packaging.
Precautions against ticks
After your child has been outside, you should check them thoroughly for ticks. Because there is no such thing as a 100% effective remedy for ticks. Ticks look for particularly well-circulated, thin-skinned and moist areas on the body to settle there. Therefore, check areas such as the crook of your arm, the back of your knees, armpits, hairline, neck, and ears. If you find a tick on your child, you should remove it as soon as possible. You can find out how to do this in our article ” Remove ticks “
Vaccination against ticks
Unfortunately, you cannot vaccinate your child against ticks themselves, but there is a vaccination against a disease that is transmitted by them. You can find out which diseases can potentially be transmitted in our article “Tick bite: What consequences can it have?” “.
TBE is a viral disease that can be transmitted to humans with the saliva of the tick when it bites a tick, provided it carries the pathogen. About every third person bitten by a tick with the TBE virus falls ill with it. The disease tends to get worse the older the affected person is. In extreme cases, TBE can lead to inflammation of the brain.
Be prepared for ticks in TBE areas
In some areas, the risk of contracting tick-borne encephalitis after a tick bite is higher. TBE risk areas in Germany are:
- Bavaria
- Baden-Würtemberg
- Hesse
- Thuringia
- Rhineland-Palatinate
In addition to other European countries, the disease is also common in Switzerland and Austria. The Robert Koch Institute recommends getting vaccinated before traveling to a risk area. A map of the TBE risk areas is available on the Robert Koch Institute website .
The costs for a vaccination against the disease TBE caused by ticks are covered by the statutory health insurance companies for people who live in risk areas. Some health insurance companies also pay for a travel vaccination if there is a particularly high risk of contracting TBE at the holiday destination. Just ask your health insurance company whether they will cover the costs for a vaccination. If this is not the case, you have to pay the costs of around 30 euros per vaccination yourself.