More and more infections with TBE and Lyme disease are also recorded in the district of Erding.
These diseases are transmitted by ticks.
Doctors urgently recommend TBE vaccination.
Erding
- The temperatures are rising, the grasses are getting longer and the ticks are more active.
Not only dogs and cats are affected.
People too often find a tick on their leg or arm after a walk in the woods.
However, the small animals are often not spotted too quickly because they bite into hidden places such as the lumbar area and the hollow of the knee.
The dangerous thing about it: Through their bite, ticks can transmit diseases such as early summer meningoencephalitis, or TBE for short, as well as borreliosis.
Therefore, the bloodsucker must be removed and the sting observed.
The well-known habitats of the animals include forests, meadows, shrubs and bushes.
People who are in the tall grass and undergrowth in summer are particularly at risk.
Both infections must be reported to the health department.
Their main transmission time is between April and November.
In the worst case, it can lead to inflammation of the brain, meninges or spinal cord.
The district of Erding has been a TBE risk area for several years, shares Dr. Markus Marschall, district chairman of the medical district association. "The number of cases in the district is comparable to that of the other districts classified as risk areas in Upper Bavaria," said Claudia Fiebrandt-Kirmeyer, spokeswoman for the Erding health department. In 2020 there were three TBE infections and 66 cases of Lyme disease in the Erding district. In 2021, no reports of TBE transmission have been received by the health department so far. However, 16 borreliosis infections have been reported so far.
In Bavaria, 2020 has been the busiest year for TBE since the start of mandatory reporting in 2001.
The number of reports of Lyme disease was also strikingly high.
“We also observed this in the Erding district,” reports Fiebrandt-Kirmeyer.
A clear increase is noticeable, confirms the spokesman for the medical district association.
“The warning sign of Lyme disease is a red circle around the puncture site,” says Lisa Ochsner, pharmacist at the Schubert pharmacy in Taufkirchen.
Dr.
Marschall urgently advises that if one of the two diseases is suspected or after 14 days there are still signs of the sting, visit the family doctor so that the further necessary steps can be taken.
"There is no reliable protection against tick bites," regrets the spokeswoman for the authorities.
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Consultation hours in the high tick season: Veterinarian Dr.
Tom Hügel from Oberdorfen removes ticks from Berta's dachshund in his practice with tick tweezers.
© Anna Hobmaier
General measures can be taken to prevent this.
For example, wearing closed and long clothing.
In addition, the ticks can be seen better on light-colored clothing.
After spending time outdoors, clothing should be carefully checked for ticks, confirms Ochsner.
"The application of a tick-repellent agent is also an option." These preparations, so-called repellants, can be found in pharmacies or at the vet.
Home remedies such as essential oils, garlic, peppermint, and coconut oil can also be repulsive. Also a tick collar for animals. As additional protection for people, there is the TBE vaccination, which is given like the usual vaccinations, three vaccinations in the first year, refreshments every three to five years.
Marschall recommends that anyone who is not at home on the couch all day get vaccinated. According to the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Bavaria, TBE vaccination rates for adults were 19.9 percent in 2018. In the vaccination book campaign in the sixth grades in 2019 in the district of Erding, in which more than 1000 pupils took part, almost 45 percent were completely vaccinated against TBE, and almost five percent had not yet had a basic immunization. Overall, however, there was a slight decrease in vaccinations of two percent between 2013 and 2018.
In contrast to humans, only the borreliosis pathogen can be transmitted in animals.
"Animals don't have TBE," explains veterinarian Dr.
Tom Hügel from Oberdorfen.
By removing the parasite from the fur in good time, a bite can possibly be prevented, which reduces the risk of infection with the Lyme disease pathogen.
"There is a Lyme disease vaccination for dogs and cats," says Hügel.
The animals are first given a basic immunization, followed by a further vaccination every six months.
"This vaccination is quite good."
A special tick removal instrument or tweezers can be used to remove the tick from humans and animals.
Make sure that the tick has been completely removed.
The veterinary advises especially for animals: "If the tick is still too small, you can wait a day or two for it to get bigger." In addition, a veterinarian can always be consulted.
In the best case scenario, the tick will fall off its victim after it has soaked itself full of blood.
ANNA HOBMAIER
