As of: February 28, 2024, 8:30 p.m
By: Anna Katharina Kuesters
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The risk of TBE in Germany is expected to increase this year.
According to experts, the mild winter means that ticks continue to spread and spread the virus.
TBE is the abbreviation for tick-borne encephalitis - a viral infection that is primarily transmitted to humans by ticks.
Since ticks are now active all year round, infection is possible all year round.
In areas where there are particularly many ticks, doctors recommend a TBE vaccination.
This is becoming particularly important in view of the increasing number of ticks in 2024: Due to increasingly warmer winters, experts at the University of Hohenheim have predicted significantly more ticks in Germany's meadows and forests.
The north and east of Germany are also affected
Ticks can transmit TBE viruses with their bite.
© Frank Sorge/Imago
The fact that more and more ticks are on the move can be seen from the increasing TBE numbers.
Although these will have declined in 2023, says Dr.
Rainer Oehme, laboratory manager of the State Health Office in the Ministry of Health in Baden-Württemberg.
At the press conference at the
University of Hohenheim
, he also made it clear that these numbers are too short.
If you look at the long-term trend, you will see that TBE cases are continuously increasing.
The problem is that ticks no longer take a winter break due to the mild winters.
This means that they are active all year round and bites from the European wood tick or riparian tick are almost always possible.
According to
gesundheitsinformtion.de,
ticks are still mainly found in the southern federal states of Germany.
But the University of Hohenheim warns that TBE cases are also increasingly occurring in the east and north.
The number cannot yet be compared with those in the south, but it is still steadily increasing.
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Vaccination is also important for children
There is a vaccination against the TBE virus that experts recommend.
It can protect against severe disease.
Long-term consequences of TBE disease can be, for example:
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So no one should underestimate the infection.
And children are also not protected from severe disease, so vaccination is recommended for them by doctors, especially in southern Germany.
In addition to TBE, ticks can also transmit Lyme disease.
This bacterial infection is treated with antibiotics.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.