Researcher: This will be a good year for ticks

The past winter and spring were suitable for ticks and, as a result, there will be at least as many as last year, said Maria Vikentjeva, a researcher at the National Institute for Health Development (TAI). Most of them carry pathogens that are dangerous for humans.
Vikentjeva said there could be more or less ticks compared to previous years, depending on the exact location and conditions.
"However, we can expect at least the same number of ticks as last year. The winter was quite good for the ticks, the ground was covered with snow and there was no sudden drop in temperature, which was quite favorable for them. We had a good average temperature spring recently, where they were able to wake up well and there are just as many animals. So all the conditions are conducive rather than inhibiting tick abundance," she told Wednesday's "Terevisioon".
A large number of ticks in Estonia carry tick-borne encephalitis or the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
It is also becoming more and more common for TAI researchers to find the bacteria behind neoehrlichiosis during monitoring, similar to in Finland and Sweden.
"According to a TAI survey last year, seven out of 10 ticks living in urban green spaces and parks carry some kind of pathogen," Vikentjeva recalled.
It takes only a few hours for encephalitis to be transmitted from a tick to a human. Bacterial infections usually require the bloodsuckers to stay on a person for at least one day.
However, they do not like the recent hot and dry weather.
"They are now mainly found only in damp and shady places, such as bushland. In open areas, such as grassland, they are not very common," the researcher said.
Fewer ticks are found in well-maintained areas where leaves are harvested and mowed regularly. "Ticks cannot find shelter there to provide this moisture. They cannot live there very well," Vikentjeva told the show.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Jaan-Juhan Oidermaa, Helen Wright