How big is the chance of getting sick from a tick bite? And does peeing on your skin help if you get burned by a jellyfish? It’s easy to get lost in the jungle of claims about summer’s major and minor ailments, but we’ve spoken to experts to help you along the way. The tick is no “screw” In recent years, the tick has risen as the summer plague above all summer plagues, but how dangerous is this microscopic insect, really? – The tick itself is harmless, but it can carry microbes that can lead to disease when it sucks blood from people and animals. That’s what Randi Eikeland, head of the Tick Center at Sørlandet Hospital, says. Each year, 7,000 Norwegians become ill from tick bites. The vast majority get a Lyme rash, which must be treated with penicillin for ten days, but some become seriously ill. – Every year around 500 people in Norway get a more serious infection, particularly neuroborreliosis and tick-borne viral encephalitis (TBE). Potentially, TBE can be life-threatening and people with compromised immune systems are particularly at risk, says Eikeland. The tick is the summer plague of all summer plagues. Photo: news She still thinks there is no reason to go around being afraid. – But if you are in places with ticks, check yourself every day and remove the ticks. And if you get more than two or three tick bites a year, you should consider getting vaccinated against the TBE virus. It is also preventive to keep the lawn short and to clear away old leaves on the ground. Covering clothing and mosquito/tick spray are also good measures. Eikeland says it is a misunderstanding that you have to unscrew the tick like a screw. Grab it as close to the bite site as possible and pull it straight out. – The biggest misunderstanding is that the vaccine against the TBE virus is a tick vaccine that protects against both ticks and Lyme disease. It doesn’t, says Eikeland, and says you still have to check yourself for ticks to avoid Lyme disease. Randi Eikeland heads the Tick Centre. Photo: Benedicte Goa Ludvigsen / news It doesn’t help to pee on jellyfish wounds If you enjoy swimming in the sea, jellyfish are probably high on the list of summer ailments. – Being burned by a common “Norwegian” jellyfish can be very painful, but is usually not dangerous, says senior researcher Tone Falkenhaug at the Institute of Marine Research. However, sensitive people may experience nausea, muscle pain and shortness of breath. – But this is rare, says Falkenhaug. For many, jellyfish stings are a real summer nuisance. Photo: Sara Vilde Solås/news Should you get burned, it is – contrary to what many people think – a bad idea to pee on or rub sand on the spot that hurts. Nettle cells contain a coiled, harpoon-like thread of venom, and when touched, the harpoon will shoot into the skin. Instead, try rinsing with salt water or keeping the area in warm water (45 C). You can protect yourself with a wetsuit and smear bare skin with Vaseline, or swim in an area with a lot of fresh water runoff. Jellyfish cannot tolerate low salinity. According to Tone Falkenhaug at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, it is a myth that it helps to urinate on the spot where you have been burned by the jellyfish. Photo: Leif Dalen / news Not many people get bitten by pike. If you prefer fresh water, you can come across the big-mouthed pike, but even if there are those who have been bitten, it is rare. That’s what senior researcher Tormod Haraldstad at Norce says. – The pike can perceive a foot as a fish and thus bite it. Perhaps especially if you wave your toes out of the boat at the edge of the reeds of murky water, says Haraldstad, but emphasizes: – Gjedda is not dangerous for humans! It feeds on eating other fish, he says. Pike have many sharp teeth both in the mouth and on the gill arches. Photo: EIRIK DAMSGAARD If you catch a pike on the hook, you should be careful when loosening the lure, as it has many sharp teeth both in its mouth and on the gill arches. – There are reports that pike have bitten fishermen when they have released small fish they did not want to keep. Haraldstad still believes that it is very unlikely to be bitten by a pike. He also dispels two myths about the predatory fish: The pike has no poison or bacteria in its mouth that could be dangerous for us. It also cannot eat fish that are larger than itself. Norce researcher Tormod Haraldstad believes fear of pike should not deter anyone from swimming in the many beautiful lakes we have. Photo: Tom Nicolai Kolstad / news The viper does not “roll” after you The viper is dangerous, and if you are bitten you should see a doctor, because you do not know how you will react to the venom. – It almost always goes well, but approximately every ten years someone in Norway dies from a viper bite, says researcher in zoology Dag Dolmen at NTNU. If you’ve been bitten before, the second bite can be scary. You may also be allergic. – In any case, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. This applies especially to children. It is about the number of milligrams of viper venom per kilogram of human. The dolmen says there are many myths about the viper. – There are walking stories about vipers that bite themselves in the tail and roll after you. It’s not possible. The viper does not attack people. It bites to defend itself. It is best to calmly pass by a few meters away. Use boots, and berry pickers if you are looking for berries. The greatest chance of encountering a viper is in the spring, early autumn, after rain and early in the morning after a cold night. – The optimum temperature for the viper is 32 degrees. If it gets warmer, it moves into mouse tunnels, piles of twigs, stone fences or other cool places. It is also very happy to lie in raspberry bushes. Dolmen’s tip if you were to be bitten on the hand, for example, is to leave the bite site alone and stay as calm as possible. Take a gauze bandage, scarf or similar and fasten it up the arm above the bite site, but not tightly. – It delays spread while you wait for help, while not stopping the blood flow. The viper bites to defend itself, says expert Dag Dolmen. Photo: Privat The wasp is not only troublesome In late summer, the wasp appears in droves, looking for something sweet to eat. Then it is important to be careful, especially if you are allergic. Watch what you eat. If you are stung in the mouth or throat, the mucous membranes there can swell and cause breathing difficulties. – The wasp stings to defend itself or to paralyze its prey. If you hit a wasp, don’t panic, but stay calm. That’s what insect researcher and associate professor at NTNU Science Museum Dag Ødegaard says. The wasp is not just a nuisance, it is an important beneficial animal in nature. It pollinates, eats other insects and is itself food. Photo: Mona Myklebust / news The vast majority of people tolerate wasp stings well, and we don’t get stung very often. – It is a myth that the wasp is only a nuisance. It is an important useful animal in our nature, he emphasizes. There is also no reason to be afraid of the large stinging wasp Geithams, which is now back in Norwegian nature. – It is mostly nocturnal, so we don’t see it much, says Ødegaard. Insect expert Frode Ødegaard says the large stinging wasp Goathams is mostly nocturnal. Photo: Agne Ødegaard Fjesingen – most troublesome for fishermen Everyone who enjoys swimming or fishing knows that they should watch out for fjesingen, but how dangerous is it really? – It is rare for a sting from a face to be serious, but convulsions, heart rhythm disturbances and breathing problems can occur, says head of research Sigurd Heiberg Espeland at the Institute of Marine Research. Most of the people who stick their faces in Norway are people who are not aware of what fish they have caught. – They stick themselves on the leading spike on the dorsal fin or on spikes on the gill cover. They usually tell of an intense pain that spreads out from the sting. You can also feel generally unwell with perhaps dizziness, nausea, stomach pain and vomiting, but this is also rare, says Espeland. If you get stung, the trick is to treat with warm water, but make sure it’s not so hot that you scald yourself. – Keep the puncture site in water at 40-45 degrees until the pain subsides. It breaks down the protein Dracotoxin, which is an important part of the venom. Most people who get stung by the farting are fishermen. Photo: Gunnar Morsund / news In recent years, the dwarf face has also made headlines, but for the vast majority there is little chance of encountering it. – It has been observed in the mandal area and can perhaps thrive even better on shallow beaches than its “big brother”. There may therefore be a slightly greater chance of encountering this when you are out swimming, than the farting, says Espeland. If you are worried about face splashing, you can possibly use swimming shoes. – The face-off is actually quite peaceful. It doesn’t even use its venom to hunt, just for defense.
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Myths and facts about summer’s many ailments – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
