More tick bites expected in the corona crisis

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.

During the exit restrictions, many people discover walking for themselves. But there is a crawling danger lurking at the edge of the forest.

In the Corona crisis, many are pushing into nature - this also increases the risk of tick bites - including in Bavaria. "When more people go out into nature than ever before because the ceiling falls on their heads at home, then it can be a good year for ticks," said Volker Fingerle from the Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) in Oberschleissheim.

Coronavirus: transmission through tick bites is unlikely

However, the expert believes that the coronavirus is unlikely to be transmitted through a tick bite. "If I have a tick bite, I would not think about a possible corona infection, but rather look out for possible symptoms of a Lyme disease infection."

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), borreliosis leads to symptoms such as fever, muscle pain and headaches. Joint inflammation can occur months or even years later. There is no vaccine against it.

Ticks transmit TBE

The disease early summer meningoencephalitis (TBE) can also be transmitted through a tick bite. At the beginning, according to the RKI, patients show flu-like symptoms. In a second phase, some complain of failures in the nervous system or persistent headaches.

The risk of infection is comparatively high in Bavaria. Only Munich, Augsburg, Schweinfurt, the district of Fürstenfeldbruck and the district of Dillingen an der Donau are not considered TBE risk areas. This year the LGL reported 167 TBE diseases across Bavaria as of April 6th.

In addition to Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, the south of Thuringia and parts of Saxony are also TBE risk areas. However, individual districts in Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Hesse and Lower Saxony are also risk areas. The Robert Koch Institute offers an overview of all districts.

Ticks like nice weather

The tick season doesn't actually begin until spring, said Fingerle. The crawling animals need temperatures of around eight degrees and high humidity. But in a winter as mild as this time, ticks are active earlier. "Even in January, when the sun is shining in the English Garden, the tick sits on a blade of grass and waits for a victim."

You can protect yourself from a bite with long clothing and tick repellent. "From my point of view, the most important thing is to search yourself very carefully and remove ticks as quickly as possible," recommends the expert. (lv / dpa)

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