Berlin.
Ticks transmit diseases such as TBE. The best protection: vaccination. Who needs the shot and when a refresher is needed.
Gone are the winters without ticks. Climate change brings milder temperatures and gets the small arachnids out of their hibernation earlier. For walkers, vacationers or forest workers, this means: protection against ticks all year round. Because the animals transmit diseases, in Germany mainly Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). It wasn’t until the beginning of March that Robert Koch Institute (RKI) three other TBE risk areas in Germany, there are now almost 180 in total. According to experts, the best protection against the viral disease is vaccination. Who should be vaccinated and when is a booster needed?
What is TBE?
Die Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a viral disease in which the brain or meninges can become inflamed. The triggering viruses are transmitted by ticks. According to the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), 70 to 95 percent of those infected have no symptoms. But in rare cases TBE can be severe, even more rarely fatal. Both the wood tick, the most common type of tick in Germany, and the alluvial forest tick can transmit the pathogen.
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How can you protect yourself against TBE?
There is a vaccination against the TBE pathogen. Depending on the manufacturer, the so-called vaccination schemes differ – i.e. at what time interval which dose can be administered. Basically, however, three syringes are necessary to achieve full protection. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the vaccination protection then lasts for at least three years. One refreshing should take place after five years, for people over 60 years after another three years.
Who should be vaccinated against TBE?
The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) recommends a TBE vaccination for people who live, work or vacation in risk areas and are at risk of tick bites. According to the RKI, almost 180 districts in Germany are TBE risk areas expelled. There is a risk of infection above all in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, in southern Hesse, in south-eastern Thuringia, in Saxony and since 2022 also in south-eastern Brandenburg. Occasionally, however, there are also infections outside of the risk areas.
Should children also be vaccinated against TBE?
According to the RKI, the course of the disease is generally easier in children than in adults, but at the same time there is a risk tick bite especially big for them. The experts therefore recommend weighing up the so-called risk of exposure, just like with adults – i.e. how likely it is that a child will come into contact with a tick. According to the BZgA, children can be vaccinated from their first birthday.
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Is there also a vaccination against Lyme disease?
A vaccine is being worked on against Lyme disease, but it is not yet ready for the market. An infection that usually first manifests itself at a redness around the bite site is treated with antibiotics. Because the bacterial pathogen often only penetrates the bite site hours after the tick begins sucking, it is advisable to search immediately after visiting the forest or park and to remove animals quickly after the bite. (fmg)
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