Anyone who has had a tick-borne disease knows these tiny creatures can be a real menace. Musician Ruslan Trochynskyi knows that firsthand. In late June, while making birch whisks for the sauna, he found a tick on himself and soon developed Lyme disease.

"I went to bed, and by the next morning I already had a headache. Then my joints started hurting and I had a fever of 37 degrees Celsius — not very high," Trochynskyi said.

After completing a two-week course of antibiotics, however, his condition worsened.

"Then I felt really terrible. My fever was 39 degrees and my family doctor told me to go to the emergency department immediately. That's where they discovered I already had encephalitis and meningitis. Fortunately, I reacted very quickly and the encephalitis didn't affect my brain itself — only the tissues around it," the musician said.

This is currently the peak season for these diseases, although people can become infected at any time of year.

"If we look at the long-term trend, unfortunately the number of cases has generally been increasing. But if we compare this year with the same period last year or the year before — from January through the end of June — the figures are generally the same," said Julia Geller, head of the Health Board's Department of Communicable Diseases.

Geller added that comparing only two years does not provide an accurate picture because many variables are involved, including people's outdoor activity and weather conditions. More than 1,200 people have contracted Lyme disease in Estonia this year, while more than 50 have been diagnosed with tick-borne encephalitis.

There is no place in Estonia that is completely free of ticks.

"Saaremaa is particularly tick-rich, as are Hiiumaa and Vormsi. More generally, the west coast is also affected, partly because migratory bird routes run along the western coast, bringing both ticks and the pathogens they carry," Geller said.

Although Lyme disease is often associated with a red ring forming around the bite, in reality about one-third of infected people never develop this characteristic rash. If left untreated, the disease can also cause symptoms much later.

"Whether several months later or even a year later, secondary symptoms can develop. As a rule, these patients do recover. Sometimes fatigue and weakness can persist after the infection, but those symptoms should generally resolve over time," family physician Reet Laidoja said.

It should be noted that Ruslan is still recovering from the illnesses he contracted more than a month ago.

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