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Friday, March 5, 2021
Ticks carry disease
Five new TBE risk areas in Germany
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is spreading even more in Germany. Therefore, the RKI classifies five other regions as risk areas. In 2020, more TBE illnesses were reported than ever since data collection began in 2001. That could be due to the corona pandemic.
Five other regions of Germany have been classified as risk areas for tick-borne encephalitis (early summer meningoencephalitis), including an area of Saxony-Anhalt for the first time. It is the city of Dessau-Roßlau, as can be seen in the current epidemiological bulletin of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin.
A new district has also been added in Bavaria (Dillingen ad Donau), Hesse (Fulda), Saxony (Central Saxony) and Thuringia (Weimarer Land). A total of 169 districts are now defined as TBE risk areas. In general, there is a risk of TBE infection in Germany, especially in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, in southern Hesse, in southeast Thuringia and in Saxony, according to the RKI. Individual risk areas are also found in Central Hesse, Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and Lower Saxony.
Classification as a risk area is based on disease data from several years. In these regions, it is recommended that people who may come into contact with ticks in their free time or at work, for example, get vaccinated against TBE.
Significant increase during corona pandemic
In 2020, 704 TBE cases were reported, more than ever since data collection began in 2001. In the previous year, the figure was 445; in 2018, the year with the highest number of cases, it was 583. Currently It is being investigated whether the significant increase during the corona pandemic could possibly be related to a change in leisure behavior, according to the report. In general, the number of cases varies considerably from year to year. According to RKI data, most illnesses occur in the months of May to October.
TBE begins with symptoms such as a headache and fever. In a small proportion of those infected, after a period without symptoms, a second phase may occur with meningitis, encephalitis, or inflammation of the spinal cord. The disease can be fatal – in 2020 in one case. A vaccine offers the most reliable protection against TBE. Vaccination rates in affected regions often remain very low, according to the RKI.
