Tick Infestations Rise in Spain, Sparking Public Health Debate

Ticks: The Growing Uncontrolled Sanitary Risk in Rural Spain

Lyme disease and tick-borne hemorrhagic fevers are no longer rare occurrences. In central Spain regions, walking through the countryside has become a risky activity: some claim to have counted up to 30 ticks climbing their shoes in just five minutes. This is not an exaggeration from casual conversation. It is the testimony of someone who returned to their car "like a soul fleeing the devil" and has never stepped into that area again.

The phenomenon is not new, but its intensity is. Tick populations are growing year after year in Spain, along with the circulation of pathogens that were barely diagnosed a decade ago. Lyme disease, borreliosis, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever: names that sound like tropical medicine textbooks, yet they are now part of the Iberian landscape.

Why There Are More Ticks Than Ever in Spain

The increase in wild ungulates—deer, wild boars—is one of the most frequently cited causes. Ticks need hosts to feed and reproduce, and the expansion of these populations has provided them with an all-you-can-eat buffet. Added to this is rural depopulation: fewer people in the countryside means less pressure on ecosystems and more refuge for the fauna that sustains the biological cycle of these mites.

This is not exclusively a problem in remote areas. Urban parks have also become hostile territory. Pets act as vectors: a dog without proper treatment can bring ticks home and turn them into a domestic issue. Veterinarians' recommendations are clear: rigorous antiparasitic treatment, especially in spring and autumn.

Lyme Disease: When Diagnosis Comes Too Late

Lyme disease is the best-known tick-borne infection, but not the only one. The main problem is not the bacterium itself, but the time it takes to detect it. The initial phase can go unnoticed: a circular red mark on the skin that disappears on its own and which many confuse with a minor allergic reaction.

Weeks later, neurological symptoms appear. Persistent headaches, dizziness, extreme fatigue. At that point, diagnosis becomes complicated. Tests available in Spain are not always reliable, and some argue that the most accurate tests are only performed in foreign laboratories. Standard treatment is doxycycline for three weeks, but if the infection has pogre to neuroborreliosis, hospitalization and prolonged intravenous treatment are required.

A vaccine against Lyme disease existed in the nineties. Production was discontinued due to lack of demand. It is one of those health paradoxes that no one fully explains.

Crimean-Congo: The Threat Not Covered by News Broadcasts

Less known and much more lethal. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a viral disease transmitted by Hyalomma genus ticks, primarily associated with deer and ungulates. Its mortality rate is significantly higher than that of Lyme, and there is no specific treatment or vaccine available for general use.

The highest-risk areas in Spain are tall grasslands near water sources, fern thickets, and areas with high rabbit density. Curiously, hills populated with rosemary or boxwood show much lower incidence. The geography of risk is not intuitive.

What to Do If You Are Bitten by a Tick

Correct extraction is fundamental. Do not pull the tick forcefully or crush it. It is recommended to gently rotate it until it releases on its own, and keep it in a container for analysis if symptoms appear. Body inspection upon arriving home is essential, especially in fold areas: armpits, groin, scalp.

Clothing matters. Long trousers made of smooth, light-colored fabric make it difficult for ticks to attach. Denim cotton is better than flannel. And although repellent helps, it is not infallible.

The Debate on Real Risk

Some argue that alarmism is excessive and that coexistence with ticks has been the norm for centuries. The response is that pathogen prevalence has changed. A tick in 1980 is not the same as a tick in 2024. Climate change, landscape modification, and the expansion of wildlife have altered the balance.

The question is not whether there are more ticks. The question is how many diseases they are transmitting that we are still failing to diagnose.