Mosquitoes can be more dangerous than ticks. This is what he commented in the program “Wake Up” the infectious disease specialist Dr. Trifon Valkov. The reason – much more often a person is bitten by a mosquito than by a tick.
„Mosquitoes also pose a risk in terms of spreading certain diseases”, explained Dr. Valkov.
He reassured that mosquito-borne diseases are more common in warmer countries. For Bulgaria, the risk is not so high. However, the change in climate is a problem, which can bring such diseases to our country as well.
Spring and all summer are tick seasons. They live in places where there is high vegetation, explained Dr. Valkov.
„Ticks are only carriers. And it's not just Lyme disease that a person can develop after a tick bite. The diseases we have here in Bulgaria are: Marseilles fever, Whooping fever, as well as some types of hemorrhagic fevers, which are also associated with tick bites, explained Dr. Valkov.
These diseases occur with high fever, some - with a characteristic rash.
Not every tick bite leads to disease. According to him, data at the European level indicate that 10-15% of ticks can transmit some disease.
„The less time the tick stays on the person, the less likely it is to transmit something. But this is specifically true of Lyme disease. Even if we assume a 100% probability that the tick transmits Lyme disease, if it stays on the human body for less than 15 to 20 hours, there is practically no probability, a very small probability, that it will transmit this disease,” explained Dr. Valkov.