TICK-BORNE ZOONOTIC INFECTION IN GEORGIA

The importance of tick-borne diseases is increasing all over the world, including Georgia. The dramatic increase of morbidity of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) and Lyme Borreliosis (LB) is observed in recent days, in Georgia. This study was undertaken to reveal epidemiology, clinical and laboratory features of CCHF and LB. We studied 45 hospitalized patients with CCHF, 4 of them were fatal cases (8,8%) and 21 patient with LB admitted to the Center of Infectious Diseases and 110 outpatients with LB. Most of patients were rural citizens from Georgia and 70% of them could recall the tick bite. The diagnosis of CCHF and LB infections was based on clinical and epidemiological laboratorial findings. All patients with CCHF had clinical signs of fever, anorexia, myalgia, and headache. Clinical signs of all patients infected with B.burgdorferi were: skin manifestations –in 75%; flu-like symptoms 76%; arthritis – 30%; neurological problems– 4,7%; heart problems - carditis – 4,7%. Thus, TBDs are an actual medical problem in Georgia. Together with NCDC necessary measures are developed to reduce morbidity of TBDs in humans. They include limiting of vectors distribution; introduction and use of modern diagnostic methods, inform and train healthcare practitioners to detect disease at early stage and provide effective etiopathogenetic treatment.