According to experts, the 2020 tick season already started in March. Some even warn that 2020 could be a record year. That's what the case numbers say.
- Many experts warn of a record tick year in 2020 .
- A mild winter should be to blame for the growth.
- The hyalomma tick is coming to us from the south .
They transmit dangerous infectious diseases such as early summer meningoencephalitis (TBE) and Lyme disease *: from early summer, ticks slowly become active again and are found mainly in tall grass or forests. According to the German Red Cross (DRK), the tick season should have started earlier than usual this year - in March. The first reports of ticks appeared in February .
Tick danger 2020: This is why many experts are warning against growth
That is why the German Red Cross issued a warning in late May that the risk of a tick bite * 2020 is particularly high. "The risk areas for an increased tick attack are larger this year. Due to the mild winter, there are also more ticks than in previous years . This time, the tick season started in March," says Professor Peter Sefrin, federal doctor of the DRK.
In fact, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the city of Dresden, the district of Meißen and the district of Schmalkhalden-Meinigen have also been classified as TBE risk areas since the beginning of the year . There are now a total of 164 tick risk areas in Germany - most of them are in southern Germany.
Georg Duscher, parasitologist at the Agency for Health and Food Security (AGES) also spoke in an interview with noe.ORF.at: "Many hikers, walkers and animal owners complain about the sharp increase." Among other things, the expert observed the tick population in areas around the Danube with the help of tick flags: "We use this flag to stroke the grass again and again. Active ticks interpret this as a possible host and attach themselves. If we compare the numbers of parasites the flag over weeks and years, its development can be followed, "says Duscher. Accordingly, he saw a significant increase in ticks. He attributes this to climate change and the associated milder winters . In the meantime, ticks could even be found as hosts on wild animals up to 1,500 meters high.
In addition, the "giant tick" Hyalomma is now settling in our latitudes *. The tick species comes from the tropics and comes to us with migratory birds from the south. Thanks to the warm and dry summers, she now feels at home here.
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Expert warning: is 2020 really going to be a record year for ticks?
Despite all the warnings, it is still not possible to make any precise forecasts: "It is always difficult to make predictions, and there will be definite clarity in autumn," says Georg Duscher. Up to April 5, the RKI's case numbers for Lyme disease show that, at least in Saxony, the number of cases increased compared to the previous year - from 124 to 173. In Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, however, they fell.
According to the RKI, a total of 51 TBE cases were reported by June 3, 2020. Most of them in southern Germany. In the previous year there were a total of 444 cases. Markus Pfeffer, professor of microbiology at the Institute for Animal Hygiene at the University of Leipzig, also gives the all-clear in an interview with the MDR: " Our studies show that it is a normal tick year . It is probably more because the people have the nice weather in spring were outside in nature and more ticks were found in humans. " The corona crisis could also be a reason why more people stayed outdoors and were therefore more exposed to the ticks.
In order not to give ticks a chance, it is important to avoid dense undergrowth or tall grass and to wear long clothes. Anyone who was out in the open should then look carefully for ticks on their skin or clothing.
Also read : Tough bloodsuckers: ticks really get that old.
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* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.