Small, but not harmless: A (soaked) tick on the skin. Lyme disease can only show up after weeks: bloodsuckers usually lurk in the tall grass or in the undergrowth © Stephan Jansen/dpa
Ticks look harmless, but they are not. They can transmit diseases such as tick-borne encephalitis. The district is a TBE risk area.
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen – Anyone who likes to be out and about in nature in spring and summer has probably already made the acquaintance of them: ticks. Unfortunately, the little bloodsuckers are not as harmless as it seems at first glance. They can transmit potentially life-threatening diseases, such as tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) or Lyme disease.
Friedl Krönauer, district chairman of the Bund Naturschutz (BN), expects a relatively intensive tick year. "The milder winter has ensured that fewer animals die." In addition, the tick benefits from climate change. The numbers have increased in recent years due to warmer temperatures. "They are spreading further and further north," explains Krönauer.
Infection with the TBE virus is particularly dangerous
A similar development is observed by the Tölz family doctor Dr. Matthias Bohnenberger. "As ticks increase, so do tick bites and thus the number of patients in the practice." An infection with the TBE virus is particularly dangerous. "In the worst case, you end up in the intensive care unit with meningitis," explains Bohnenberger.
TBE starts like a normal summer flu
"It starts like a normal summer flu with symptoms such as cough, fever or body aches," says Münsinger family doctor Dr. Jörg Lohse. "There are further exacerbating headaches that just don't want to go away." He therefore recommends a TBE vaccination for people who are frequently bitten by ticks or who are regularly in the wild. For basic immunization, three vaccine doses are administered at intervals of four weeks or half a year.
Physician advises early vaccination
In principle, according to Bohnenberger, it is advisable to get vaccinated early in order to be protected from infection as early as spring. "For those under 50 years of age, the protection lasts five years, older people need a refresher every three years," adds Lohse.
By the way: Everything from the region can also be found in our regular Bad Tölz newsletter.
But a tick bite can not only cause TBE. "Every fifth to tenth adult animal carries Lyme disease bacteria," explains the Münsing family doctor. These are transmitted when bitten with saliva. To do this, however, the bloodsuckers must have burrowed deep into the skin, which is only the case after more than four hours. A Lyme disease infection is manifested by the fact that a ring-shaped skin change forms in the area of the puncture site, explains Lohse.
Lyme disease can also only show up after weeks
If the bacteria spread, they can infect joints or, in the worst case, the nervous system. Flu-like symptoms can also occur with Lyme disease. The tricky thing is that it can take up to six weeks for a possible infection to show up. "By then, you may have forgotten the bite," says Bohnenberger. Or you didn't even notice the sting. According to the doctor, Lyme disease can be treated well with antibiotics, but there is no vaccination.
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Tick repellent on clothing can help
"The treatment is simpler than with TBE, but only with this disease can you take precautions," says Jörg Lohse. That's why his tip: after spending time in nature, always check for ticks and remove them as quickly as possible. First cover the puncture site with an iodine plaster and observe possible skin changes. According to Bohnenberger, however, the most important thing is to prevent yourself from being bitten in the first place so as not to expose yourself to the risk of infection in the first place. A tick repellent, which is applied to clothing, helps. "This makes you uninteresting for the tick," says the family doctor.
Ticks look for a thin area of skin on the body
The bloodsuckers usually lurk in the tall grass or undergrowth for a host. "They know that a host animal – or a human being – is nearby, because they perceive its vapors, or a shadow falls on them," says BN district chief Krönauer. Once the ticks have been stripped off by a leaf or blade of grass, they crawl around the body until they have found a relatively thin area of skin. "This can be, for example, the back of the knee, the groin area or the area behind the ear." Since most of these parts of the body are difficult to reach, it is advisable to get help from another person for tick removal. It is best to pull the bloodsucker straight out instead of unscrewing it, says Krönauer.
The district has been a TBE risk area for years. According to the press spokeswoman of the district office, Sabine Schmid, a case of Lyme disease has already been reported this year, TBE diseases have not yet occurred. In 2022, there were two TBE and 25 Lyme disease cases in the district. (fs)
You can find even more up-to-date news from the region at Merkur.de/Bad Tölz.
