Ticks Seven TBE cases in Hesse

Meningitis: so far seven cases of FSME in Hesse

08/11/2014

This year, the dangerous meningitis FSME, which is transmitted by a tick bite, has been diagnosed in Hesse seven times. It is possible that those affected would have been infected outside of Hesse.

Affected may not have infected in Hesse
The tick-borne dangerous tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) has been diagnosed seven times in Hesse so far this year. According to a news agency dpa, a spokeswoman for the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin said on request that there had been 22 cases nationwide in the past year. It was possible that the victims had not infected in Hesse, but were ill in Hesse. According to medical experts, one to five percent of the ticks carry the virus of meningitis TBE in itself.

Vaccination against TBE
There is a vaccination against the reportable illness. The Standing Vaccination Committee (STIKO) of the RKI advises all individuals to this vaccine against the viral infectious disease, which could come in contact with ticks in the risk areas. Ticks can transmit the virus by getting them out of the grass or from low bushes to the skin, which they then drill to suck blood. According to the RKI, Südhessen and the district of Marburg-Biedenkopf are TBE risk areas.

In extreme cases deadly
In humans, TBE viruses can cause flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, or vomiting. Although the symptoms can be alleviated, the disease itself can not be specifically treated. In particularly severe cases, the viruses can cause meningitis. Permanent damage can be, for example, paralysis and lack of concentration. The disease is fatal in extreme cases. There is no vaccine against the borreliosis, also transmitted by ticks, but it can be treated relatively well with antibiotics. (Ad)