OREANDA-NEWS. June 16, 2010. In Irkutsk representatives of power grid companies were testing themselves the unique joint development of Russian producers of overall and life scientists — antiencephalitic suit. Elena Kalinina, Head of the Service for Industrial Control and Labour Protection, participated in testing from IDGC of Centre.

Russia leads the world in incidence of tick-borne encephalitis disease. In some regions where IDGC of Centre operates (Kostroma, Yaroslavl and Tver regions) natural focuses of encephalitic tick are particularly widespread. Tick-borne encephalitis morbidity in these regions is 4—10 persons per 100 thousand population (according to data of region bodies of GosSanEpidemNadzor (State sanitary and epidemiological supervision) of Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, according to maximal morbidity of 1998—2004). That is why for IDGC of Centre selection of antiencephalitic protection means for its employees is the urgent objective.

Testing of antiencephalitic suit was conducted in Irkutsk the place of one of the largest in the Russian Federation encephalitis natural focuses. The period of testing was chosen not by accident — time of full activity of ticks is from second half May till mid-June. During testing participants put on specially produced protection suits and were left in taiga.

Elena Kalinina, Head of the Service for Industrial Control and Labour Protection of IDGC of Centre, noted: “In zone of spread of encephalitic ticks we have been staying for about four hours, checking the behavior of ticks on the protection suit, catching insects onto flag. A sa a result of conducted testing suits were recognized to be very qualitative. These are really protective means of new generation. In 2010 we are carrying out the purchase of such suits, and planning to perform provision of power engineers of IDGC of Centre with antiencephalitic suits in future as well”.

Design of the suit is unique. It is developed by Russian producers of overall and life scientists taking into account peculiarities of behavior of ticks. It is known that a tick develops under the ground and attacks its victims bottom-upwards – from ground surface or from grass. Two protection levels are used in new antiencephalitic suit. Firstly, it is mechanical protection that includes special cuffs on hands and legs, special design of jacket and trousers not allowing a tick to get on human body, and traps for ticks made in the form of folds on clothes. Chemical protection is provided by specially solutioned parts of the suit. Concentration of this chemical composition is calculated in such a way that it is absolutely harmless for people and animals, but poisonous for a tick: if it gets on the suit parts steeped in chemical a tick dies. Knockdown results, when maximum in four minutes being on the suit a tick dies and falls on the ground.

IDGC of Centre conducts tick-borne encephalitis vaccination of employees of power system who may be in tick disease risk zone due to their form of activity. However, a tick is a carrier of about ten dangerous diseases more that is why power engineers working in dangerous conditions should be additionally provided with special protective antiencephalitic suits.