During the spring and early summer, more than 36,000 tick observations have been reported to the University of Turku. Punkkilive website. These point to particularly high concentrations of parasitic spiders on the south coast, as well as many observations from the Oulu region.
"The predominant species in Oulu is taiga, which makes up about 98 percent of the area’s ticks." by Jani SormunenPostdoctoral Researcher, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku.
This hard – bodied species starts moving earlier in the spring than those found in the south, he said, adding that the cold spring probably had less of an effect on their start – up than the sheep or castor bean (known in Finnish as. tick or a more general term mite).
"In addition, virtually all taiga mites attached to humans and pets are adults, which is easier to detect," he said.
According to Sormunen, the activities of taiga mites will largely cease by midsummer, after which they will mostly be in sheltered soil or soil. Their findings are rare later in the summer. In contrast, in the south, August to September is often the worst tick season.
“Punkkive” indicates TBE hotspots
It will soon be possible to view municipality-specific information on the prevalence of ticks on the Punkkivi observation map. The data are based on observations reported in 2021 in relation to the population of each municipality. Last year, the public reported nearly 80,000 tick observations in Punkkivele.
The application, jointly developed by the University of Turku and Pfizer, is intended to collect data for university research on the spread of ticks in Finland.
The site also compares findings with data from the Department of Health and Welfare (THL) on tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) reported in the municipality over the past five years.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), this viral infection can initially cause fever, tiredness, headaches, muscle aches and nausea. The second stage of the disease may be associated with a neurological system associated with symptoms of meningitis and / or encephalitis.
"As with other tick-borne infections, the risk of TBE can be reduced by using insect repellents and protective clothing to prevent tick bites." says ECDC.
There is also a vaccine, which is provided free of charge in the area of permanent and summer residents national vaccination program. These range from the north of Oulu to parts of Kemi to Åland. part of Uusimaa and the Kotka archipelago in south-eastern Finland.
Ticks can also spread Lyme disease in Finland, a bacterial infection also known as Lyme borreliosis.
Source: The Nordic Page