Status: 03/03/2023 10:21 a.m
The RKI has identified new risk areas in which the risk of tick-borne encephalitis TBE is particularly high. Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are particularly affected. Vaccination is recommended.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has identified new areas in which people should be particularly wary of tick bites. In Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt, it expanded the risk areas for the encephalitis TBE, which is usually transmitted by ticks.
The districts of Anhalt-Bitterfeld and Fürstenfeldbruck as well as the urban district of Munich have been added, as the RKI reports in a current report. This means that almost 180 districts nationwide are now designated as risk areas.
Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg as risk areas
The classification of risk areas is based on data on reported TBE diseases from 2002 to 2022. According to the RKI, there is a risk of infection above all in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, in southern Hesse, in south-eastern Thuringia, in Saxony and since the previous year also in south-eastern Brandenburg. There are also individual risk areas in other federal states. According to the RKI, there are also isolated infections outside of designated risk areas.
According to the RKI report, 546 TBE diseases were reported in 2022, 30 percent more than in the previous year. A small proportion of those affected were probably infected abroad. The number of cases recorded has fluctuated greatly between 195 (2012) and 717 (2020) since 2001. In 2022, two deaths were recorded in this connection.
Vaccinations protect against encephalitis
TBE stands for tick-borne encephalitis. The majority of infections with the virus are symptomless. The risk of serious illness is significantly increased in people over 60 years of age. The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) recommends a TBE vaccination for people who live, work or stay there for other reasons in TBE risk areas and are therefore at risk of tick bites.
The vast majority, namely 98 percent of the TBE patients reported in 2022, were not or insufficiently vaccinated against TBE, writes the RKI. Vaccination rates are also low in risk areas. A high proportion of cases are therefore considered avoidable.
If the virus multiplies in the brain and spinal cord, severe courses with permanent neurological deficits can occur. Possible consequences include permanent paralysis, swallowing and speech disorders.
Tick-proof clothing only offers limited protection
According to the RKI report, tick bites can be prevented in part by protective measures such as wearing closed clothing, avoiding undergrowth and tall grass and staying on fixed paths.
However, the most reliable protection is offered by the TBE vaccination. Since TBE viruses get into humans as soon as they start sucking, ticks have to be removed immediately and the wound disinfected. Searching the body later and pulling out ticks protect little.