Protective practices against tick bites in Denmark, Norway and Sweden: a questionnaire-based study

Jepsen, Martin Tugwell; Jokelainen, Pikka; Jore, Solveig; Boman, Anders; Slunge, Daniel; Krogfelt, Karen A.

doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7613-4

Cited by 18 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Tick-borne diseases in humans and livestock are emerging following expansion of tick ranges in many regions in Europe [1] and in North America [2]. People in the Nordic countries express worry and fear and take protective measures for themselves and their pets against tickbites [23,24]. Anaplasmosis and babesiosis constitute a real threat to the health of cattle and sheep, involving weight loss and increased mortality [31], but such disease emergences may have effects on livelihood and quality of life of farmers beyond this.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden people are worried about tick-borne diseases among humans and to a certain extent also adopt protective behavior for themselves and their pet animals [10,23,24]. There is also anecdotal evidence from stakeholders that emergence of tick-borne diseases among livestock would cause worry and fear among farmers, but we lack an understanding of such worry and fear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Livestock owners’ worry and fear of tick-borne diseases

2020

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Background: Recent global changes have led to an increase in distribution of ticks towards higher elevation and latitude in Europe and livestock are at increasing risk of contracting tick-borne diseases, but psychological aspects of how this affects human well-being are rarely assessed. Departing from the theory on emotional appraisal coming from psychology, this study investigates which factors that modulate worry and fear associated with the presence of ticks among livestock owners of sheep and/or cattle. Methods: Survey data from 775 livestock owners in Norway were analysed by hierarchical multiple regression analysis with an index of fear of tick-borne diseases among livestock as the outcome variable. Results: Twenty-nine per cent of the livestock owners reported worry and fear of tick-borne diseases among their livestock. The model explained 35% of the variance in worry and fear. There was a weak association between estimated incidences of tick-borne diseases in livestock and livestock owners' worry and fear. Whereas previous personal experience of ticks and tick-borne diseases in livestock, and the livestock owners' appraisals of the situation were more strongly associated with relatively stronger feelings of worry and fear. Conclusions: Livestock owners' worry and fear of tick-borne diseases in livestock can partly be understood as their appraisals of perceived personal relevance of the presence of ticks, its potential negative implications for their daily life at large, and what potential they have to cope by different strategies to adapt or adjust to the situation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Livestock owners’ worry and fear of tick-borne diseases

2020

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“…We focus here on the subset of the questions in the survey relating to tick bite exposure and tick-borne disease. Results regarding protective behaviour and knowledge and risk perceptions related to tick bites, LB, and tick-borne encephalitis have been published in two other papers [12,14].…”

Section: Study Design and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of these, 783, 789, and 1096 completed the survey, giving a mean response rate of 61%. The demographics of the final sample is given in tables 1, 2, and 3 and in companion papers [12,14].…”

Section: Study Design and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial tick bite exposure and associated risk factors in Scandinavia

Jore

Vanwambeke²,

Slunge

et al. 2020

Infection Ecology & Epidemiology

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Tick-borne diseases are emerging and re-emerging threats causing public health concerns in Europe and North America. Prevention and control requires understanding of human exposure and behaviour. The aim was to measure exposure to tick bites across Scandinavia, its spatial distribution and the associated risk factors. Methods We sent a web-based survey to a randomly chosen population and analysed answers by Principal Component Analysis and Chi-Square. Individual responses were aggregated at the municipality level to assess the spatial distribution of bites. Results Nearly 60% of adults reported bites at low levels (1-5 bites); however, the majority were not in their resident municipality. We found two spatial profiles: In their home municipalities, people were most often bitten in less, but not the least, urbanized areas. When visiting other municipalities, people were most frequently bitten in peri-urban areas. Running/walking in the forest, gardening, and paddling/rowing were activities most strongly associated with bites. Conclusion Tick bites affect the entire Scandinavian population, with a higher risk in Sweden compared to Denmark and Norway. The frequency of observation of ticks in the environment or on pets might be used as a proxy for the actual risk of exposure to tick bites. Our results indicates that urban-dwelling outdoor enthusiasts and inhabitants of rural areas must be equally targeted for prevention campaigns.

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“…The risk of exposure to infected ticks increases when time is spent outdoors for recreational or occupational purposes [ 6 ]. However, the perceived risk of tick bites and tick-borne infections, together with the adoption of preventive and protective measures, may strongly influence human exposure to ticks and transmitted pathogens [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. This perceived risk might be particularly low in areas that have been recently invaded by ticks, where people may not be aware of the possibility of being bitten and are not used to adopt preventive measures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low Risk Perception about Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in an Area Recently Invaded by Ticks in Northwestern Italy

Garcia-Vozmediano

Giglio

Ramassa³

et al. 2021

Veterinary Sciences

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Risk perception, together with the adoption of measures to prevent tick bites, may strongly influence human exposure to ticks and transmitted pathogens. We created a questionnaire to evaluate how people perceive the health risk posed by ticks in an area recently invaded by these arthropods, in the western Italian Alps. Moreover, through a collaborative effort with park rangers and physicians, we investigated which tick species bite humans and their infection with pathogens (Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and spotted-fever group Rickettsiae). Apart from two Dermacentor marginatus bites, we identified Ixodes ricinus (n = 124) as the main species responsible for tick bites. The investigated pathogens infected 25.4% of tested I. ricinus. The evaluation of the engorgement rate of biting I. ricinus revealed that they had been likely feeding on humans for 24 h or more, suggesting a high probability of pathogen transmission. Indeed, the questionnaires revealed that people infrequently adopt preventive measures, such as inspecting the body for ticks, although most respondents claimed that ticks are a threat to human health. Having suffered from previous tick bites was positively associated with the adoption of personal protection measures. Given the increasing incidence of tick-borne diseases in the region, the public should be better informed about the possibility of being bitten by infected ticks in order to mitigate the risk.

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Protective practices against tick bites in Denmark, Norway and Sweden: a questionnaire-based study

Cited by 18 publications

References 16 publications

Livestock owners’ worry and fear of tick-borne diseases

Livestock owners’ worry and fear of tick-borne diseases

Spatial tick bite exposure and associated risk factors in Scandinavia

Low Risk Perception about Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in an Area Recently Invaded by Ticks in Northwestern Italy

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