Essen
In the “consultation hour” we talk to the physician Prof. Weckbecker about how best to remove ticks and recognize Lyme disease or TBE symptoms.
It’s a tiresome topic – especially when the temperatures lure people back outside: The ticks are spreading massively in Germany. The spider-like parasites are among the beneficiaries of climate change. Up until 20 years ago, their main focus of distribution was still in the south of Germany, but they have meanwhile advanced far to the north. There is now also a district in North Rhine-Westphalia – namely Solingen – which is considered a tick risk area.
Also read: Why a tick plague is threatening this summer in NRW
The bloodsuckers are feared above all because they spread dangerous diseases – including tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Lyme borreliosis. According to a study by the Central Institute for Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (ZI), the number of Lyme disease cases in Germany has risen by around 30 percent to around 310,000 patients per year over the past 10 years – the RKI counts around 500 cases of TBE every year. In the new episode our video series “The Consultation Hours” with Professor Klaus Weckbecker So let’s talk about how to recognize and treat these serious inflammatory diseases – and above all how to react correctly after a tick bite: The message is: As soon as possible!
Prof. Weckbecker teaches general medicine at the University of Witten/Herdecke and as such is a recognized expert on family medicine issues. Together with him we regularly devote ourselves to the so-called common diseases and everyday medical issues.
In an interview about the tick plague, Prof Weckbecker explains
- why you should remove a tick as soon as possible
- why it is best to use tick tweezers – if necessary also a disposable razor
- why you shouldn’t treat the tick with alcohol or oil
- how a tick risk area is defined
- how you can tell if you have TBE or Lyme disease
- in which cases a vaccination against TBE is necessary
- why we shouldn’t let it spoil our stay outdoors: The risk is actually manageable.
More episodes of our family doctor series:
Episode 14:
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