TBE ticks are active in spring

Scientists warn against TBE and Lyme disease by ticks

03/14/2014

Ticks become active from a temperature of about six degrees. Usually the eight-legged from winter to winter hibernation. Due to the mild winter, however, they were earlier alive than usual this year. As a result, the ticks continue to spread, so that scientists now warn against Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE).

Activity of the ticks is increasing
According to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 420 TBE cases were registered last year. In 2012 there were only 195 affected. „However, the long-term statistics show that the TBE risk has increased continuously, even if there are annual fluctuations. Seen in this way, the tick remains the most dangerous animal in Germany“, explains parasitologist Ute Mackenstedt from the University of Hohenheim.

„This winter, we measured almost continuous activity on our tick stations throughout Germany“, explains Dr. Olaf Kahl, Managing Director of the information platform Zeckenwetter.de. The likelihood of the animals spreading is high and could be associated with more cases of Lyme disease and FSME.

According to the RKI, the risk of TBE infection by a tick bite is between 1:50 and 1: 100. In most cases, flu-like symptoms occur after about ten days. „In about one third of the patients, after a temporary improvement, the fever rises again and the second phase of the disease“, reports Prof. Dr. med. Uta Meyding-Lamadé, chief physician of the Neurological Clinic of the Hospital Northwest in Frankfurt am Main. While patients with mild gradients suffered mainly from headaches, the spinal cord and brain would be involved in severe cases. „Symptoms include abnormal coordination, paralysis, speech and language disorders, impaired consciousness and epileptic seizures“, so the doctor. In one percent of those affected FSME is deadly. „Once the disease has broken out, only the symptoms can be treated. However, a vaccine can be taken as a precautionary measure that already provides protection within a few weeks and is well tolerated by children and adults“, informs Meyding-Lamadé.

For Lyme disease, however, no vaccine is available so far. With timely therapy with an antibiotic, however, the chances of recovery are good. Experts advise protecting oneself from tick bites through body-covering clothing and thoroughly scouring the body after spending time outdoors. If an animal is discovered, it is advisable to act quickly. „The ticks should be removed as quickly as possible, for example with tweezers or tick cards. This is especially important for the transmission of Lyme disease, as the risk is higher the longer the tick sucks“, reports the doctor. (Ag)