Image: (dpa-Zentralbild/Patrick Pleul)
Figures from Germany show that 98 percent of those who are infected are not or only insufficiently protected by vaccination. High numbers of cases were registered last year in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In this country, the TBE vaccination rate in 2019 was 79 percent (ever vaccinated). Experts point to the rate of booster vaccinations as a possible problem. Up to the age of 60, a booster should be given every five years after a basic immunization and then every three years. Antibiotics do not work because they are viral pathogens. Vaccination is the only reliable method to preventively minimize the risk in endemic areas.
The disease typically progresses in two phases. In the first phase, flu-like symptoms appear about seven days to two weeks after the bite, which disappear after a few days. In about five to 15 percent of patients, the central nervous system is affected after a symptom-free interval. Severe cases lead to paralysis and permanent disabilities. About one percent of patients with neurological symptoms die from TBE.
Source: Nachrichten
