In Germany, two new risk areas have been identified for the brain inflammation TBE, which is mostly transmitted by ticks. They are located in Brandenburg and Thuringia and border on known risk areas, as the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports. These are therefore the urban district of Frankfurt (Oder) and the district of Altenburger Land. The number of TBE risk areas in this country increases to 180. This is based on reported infection numbers from 2002 to 2023.
TBE stands for tick-borne encephalitis. According to the RKI, there is a risk of TBE infection primarily in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, in southern Hesse, in southeastern Thuringia, in Saxony and, since 2022, in southeastern Brandenburg. There are also individual risk areas in Central Hesse, Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. However, cases are also possible outside of risk areas.
Vaccination recommended for people from risk areas
One consequence of the designation of risk areas is that people who are at risk of a tick bite there should be vaccinated against TBE. This is what the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) recommends. The RKI assumes that vaccinations against the disease have not been sufficient in these regions. Last year, a total of 475 TBE diseases were reported in this country, mostly between May and October. Almost all those affected were not vaccinated or were insufficiently vaccinated. In most cases, infections with viruses occur without symptoms.
“If there is a tick infestation, the tick should always be removed immediately and the wound should be disinfected if possible,” writes the RKI. Vaccination offers the most reliable protection against TBE. However, there is no vaccination against Lyme disease, which is also transmitted by ticks and occurs nationwide.
