The first ticks become active as early as the turn of February and March. The peak season for tick-borne diseases is about to begin, as it falls during the summer holidays: from the beginning of June to the end of August. In summer, we spend more time outdoors, so the risk of being bitten by a disease-carrying tick is greater.

Ticks transmit diseases

Ticks most commonly transmit Lyme disease. Last year in Lower Silesia, more than 8,500 patients visited primary healthcare (POZ) doctors with Lyme disease. This is a significant increase compared with 2024, when the figure was just under 6,500.

Lyme disease is a bacterial illness. A small percentage of ticks carry it, and not every contact with an infected tick leads to illness, but if Lyme disease develops, it can cause serious complications.

The disease can develop over months or even years. It must be treated without fail. Therefore, even the first symptoms require antibiotic therapy. Untreated Lyme disease can lead to many dangerous neurological complications, heart disorders or joint diseases.

A considerably rarer but more dangerous disease transmitted by these small arachnids is tick-borne encephalitis. In 2025, nearly 50 Lower Silesia residents were hospitalized because of it.

Prevention is the most important

Prevention of tick-borne diseases primarily involves protecting the body from ticks, using repellents—preparations that repel them—preventive vaccinations, and removing ticks mechanically as quickly as possible.

Vaccinations provide immunity

In the case of tick-borne encephalitis, effective preventive vaccination is already available. You can apply for it at a POZ clinic, while adults can also be vaccinated at pharmacies that have signed an agreement with the National Health Fund. A family doctor or pharmacist will qualify you for vaccination free of charge, issue a prescription and administer the preparation, while we must cover the cost of the vaccine ourselves.

In 2025, 300 people from the Lower Silesian Voivodeship were vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis at pharmacies; since the beginning of this year, nearly 800 people have already received the vaccination. Vaccination is available at more than 160 pharmacies throughout Lower Silesia.

Researchers are also currently working on a vaccine against Lyme disease. The work is advanced and offers hope for the future. For now, however, the primary prevention methods are mechanical protection against tick bites and vigilance.

Remove the tick as quickly as possible

If you notice a tick embedded in the skin, remove it as quickly as possible. The longer the tick remains in contact with human blood, the greater the risk of infection. After 36 hours from the moment it embeds itself in the skin, the risk of contracting a disease increases significantly. That is why it is so important to carefully inspect the entire body, including the scalp, after returning from a trip, picnic or even an ordinary visit to the park.

Every situation in which we are bitten by a tick requires special attention, but also calm. Pharmacies offer tools for effective, independent tick removal. All of them ensure that the tick can be safely grasped close to the skin and pulled out. After removal, the skin should be washed and disinfected.

It is best to keep the appropriate preparations with you at all times in a travel or home first-aid kit.
Remember not to pull out the tick with your fingers, crush it, squeeze it, twist it, burn it, remove it with a needle or apply greasy substances or other chemicals to it.

When should you seek medical help?

You may need a doctor's advice if:

  • redness and/or swelling occurs at or around the bite site after the tick has been completely or incompletely removed (in situations where a large fragment remains),
  • sudden and other serious symptoms occur:
    • high fever,
    • nausea and vomiting,
    • headaches or neurological symptoms.

If the doctor decides that surgical intervention is necessary, you will receive an appropriate referral for further treatment.

More information is available in the NFZ Patient Guide: https://www.nfz.gov.pl//poradnik-pacjenta-nie-lekcewaz-ukaszenia-kleszcza