To prevent relapsing fever, attention must be paid to reducing risk factors.
Behavioral risk factors
- Lice relapsing fever: poor hygienic conditions (poor housing, clothing and personal hygiene), especially in war and disaster situations.
- Tick relapse fever: stay in tick habitats.
Prophylactic measures
- Aphid control: improve living conditions; control aphids by insecticide decontamination:
- Wash clothes at a minimum of 60 degrees.
- Items that have come into contact with lice should be sealed or shrink-wrapped in plastic bags. Decontaminate to render eggs harmless:
- Non-textile items three days
- Textile items 14 days
Alternatively, contaminated items can be frozen for at least three days.
- Tick relapse fever: avoid tick bites by wearing clothing that covers the body, use of repellents (repellent; active ingredient that is perceived by an organism through the sense of smell and that deters it without killing it).
