Tick bites can cause dangerous meningitis (TBE).
The risk is increasing in more and more parts of Germany.
TBE stands for early summer meningoencephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, meninges or spinal cord caused by viruses.
Ticks infected with the TBE virus are carriers of the disease.
Patients think of the flu first when symptoms appear. About ten days after the tick bite, symptoms such as general malaise, fever as well as headache and body aches can occur. This can be followed by the second phase of the disease, as reported by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) as the leading biomedical research facility of the German federal government. Although this does not happen in 70 to 95 percent of cases, it can have fatal consequences if it occurs. The RKI continues: “In the case of severe disease, there is a risk of permanent neurological deficits, especially in adults, usually in the form of paresis, but also of seizure disorders or long-lasting headaches. These symptoms can often persist for months after the illness ”.According to the RKI, the disease leads to death in around one percent of the sick.
As the Federal Center for Health Education informs, TBE occurs mainly in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and the southern parts of Hesse, Thuringia and Saxony.
In 2020 there was a sad record high: 704 TBE diseases
were reported according to the RKI - the highest number of diseases so far since data collection began in 2001. This is more than double the annual median value of 301 diseases, according to the RKI.
According to the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO), the most reliable protection against the disease is the
TBE vaccination.
This is why the STIKO recommends such a vaccination to all people who are or live in TBE risk areas.
You can find an overview of the TBE risk areas in Germany here
+
The Standing Vaccination Commission recommends a TBE vaccination for those who are in a tick risk area.
© Robert Schmiegel / imago-images
2021: Five new TBE risk areas in Germany
In more and more regions of Germany there is a risk of developing TBE after a tick bite.
Therefore, the RKI has expanded the number of TBE risk areas by
five new regions
:
the city of Dessau-Roßlau (Saxony-Anhalt)
Dillingen ad Donau (Bavaria)
Fulda (Hesse)
Central Saxony (Saxony)
Weimarer Land (Thuringia)
This means that 169 regions are now risk areas for tick-borne meningitis TBE, reports the
Ökotest
portal
.
(jg)
Sources: https://www.impfen-info.de/impfempfänger/;
https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/;
https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/Archiv/2021/09/Art_01.html
Don't want to miss any health news?
Here you can subscribe to the Merkur health newsletter
Read more
: Special caution: This is why you should see a doctor immediately if a tick bite itches.
Watch out: these are the eight most common misconceptions about ticks
Watch out: these are the eight most common misconceptions about ticks
List of rubric lists: © Robert Schmiegel via www.imago-images.de