Health teams inform citizens about ticks in villages

Health teams inform citizens about ticks in villages

ERZİNCAN – Erzincan Provincial Health Directorate teams are visiting villages and informing citizens about Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever.

The 3rd Family Medicine Department of Erzincan Kemah district informed citizens about CCHF disease in the village of Yataktepe and distributed leaflets.

Hatice Özen, a nurse working at Kemah District Hospital, said, “We started tick training due to the season. Today, we came here to warn our citizens about ticks in the village of Yataktepe in Kemah district. Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever is a disease transmitted by ticks. Here, we emphasize to our patients the importance of wearing colorful clothes in picnic areas, especially in forested areas, vineyards and gardens. We warn them not to touch ticks or urine on animals. We ask them to tuck their pants into their socks. Because ticks are not jumping animals, they are climbing animals. At the checkpoint, we tell citizens to check their bodies for ticks when they return from risky areas.”

Özen, who said that ticks love warm weather, said, “After coming home, the areas under the ear, behind the neck, nape, armpits, and behind the knees should be checked by removing all clothing. When there is an intervention, how can we remove a tick when it is attached? For this, we immediately intervene in the tick. We never touch it with our bare hands. We remove the tick from our body with paper, napkins, leaves, or any kind of cloth. If any part of the tick remains in our body, there is no need to be afraid. Think of it like a splinter. In this case, after removing the tick, the part with the tick should be dressed immediately and a health institution should be taken.

“If there is any weakness, diarrhea, headache, vomiting, etc. within 10 days of being caught by a tick, a health institution should definitely be consulted. We immediately take a blood test from the citizen who comes to the health institution. We inform them according to the results and ask them to come back to the health institution after 10 days,” he said.

Following the information provided by Hatice Özen, a nurse working at Kemah District Hospital, informative leaflets about ticks were distributed to citizens.

Noting her satisfaction with the information provided, Nevin Karkın from the village of Yastıktepe stated that she came from abroad and said, “My father-in-law lives here in this village. We also come frequently in the summer months. The nurse informed us about ticks, I thank her. We attach great importance to the information she gave. Thankfully, they often come to our village and take close care of our patients. On behalf of myself and my village, we thank our health teams again.”

Sait Girgin from the village of Pillowtepe said, “I definitely come to my village every 15 days. The nurse informed us. We understood very well. I had caught a tick here before. They took it out immediately at the hospital. They did a blood test. As the nurse said, there is no need to be afraid. Now I have learned even better. I thank her and our health teams.”