Tick bites are increasingly causing cases of Lyme disease and TBE in the Freising district.
But there is protection against dangerous infections.
County
- This is an uninvited guest.
And humans, it is said on the explanatory website of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), are the "accidental landlords".
This has nothing to do with gastronomy - but the visitor is thirsty.
He wants our blood.
It is ticks that haunt us and when they bite (or bite) can transmit dangerous diseases such as Lyme disease or TBE.
The tick season in our latitudes lasts from March to November. The bloodsuckers are therefore in high season, and Freising is part of the TBE risk area. Not very encouraging: the number of cases of illness is increasing, as the Freising Health Department reports.
Both diseases are notifiable:
Lyme borreliosis
is the most common tick-borne infectious disease in Europe.
When they suck their blood, the tiny arachnids pass on the pathogens, bacteria of the Borrelia burgdorferi (Borrelia) species, to their victim.
After 35 to 58 cases in the years from 2016 to 2019, the Freising Health Department suddenly learned of 64 cases in 2020.
“I just had another classic case in my practice,” reports the chairman of the Freising Medical District Association, Georg Miedl.
As a rule, Lyme disease can be treated well with antibiotics, said Miedl.
But it is important to recognize the disease.
Long clothing provides protection in meadows and forests
In 70 to 75 percent of cases, a red circle forms around the sting point ("wandering red") about a week after the tick bite. If left untreated, Lyme disease can affect joints (grade 2) or even develop into neuroborreliosis, as Miedl emphasizes. This severe course occurs when the Borrelia bacteria spread in the body and attack the brain or nerve tracts. Meadows, forests, bushes and shrubs are among the habitats of ticks. Anyone staying there should therefore wear long, closed clothing and then search for ticks. If you remove the tick early, before it has soaked up with blood, this can prevent the pathogen from being transmitted.
Early summer meningo encephalitis (TBE)
is even more insidious
.
This is an inflammation of the brain, meninges, or spinal cord caused by viruses transmitted by ticks.
You should definitely consult a doctor if flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache or body aches occur one to two weeks after the bite.
The symptoms could be signs of Lyme disease, but also TBE.
"We have very few TBE cases in the district," reports Miedl.
In 2020 there were six cases, in the previous years five (2019), three (2018), and before that there was only one case at a time.
Medical spokesman advises vaccination
The good news: TBE can be prevented with a “very well tolerated, highly effective vaccination”, reports Miedl.
The TBE vaccination hit the headlines in the 1990s because of frequent side effects and was eventually even withdrawn from the market.
“In the meantime, however, the vaccine has been completely rebuilt and is now absolutely unproblematic.” To establish sustainable protection, he recommends vaccinating children as early as possible.
Good to know
■
Lyme disease and TBE cannot be transmitted from person to person.
■
The application of tick-repellent agents (repellants) can prevent a bite.
■
The TBE vaccination rate in Bavaria in 2018 was 19.9 percent.
■
Animals cannot get TBE, but they can get Lyme disease.
There is a vaccination for this.
■
Further information is available on the Internet pages of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
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