Tick season 2021: vaccinating makes sense now!
Christine Albert studied German linguistics and literature as well as Scandinavian studies at the Albert Ludwigs University in Freiburg. She is currently doing a traineeship at Hubert Burda Media and is writing, among other things, for
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.They lurk in tall grass, bushes or undergrowth and wait there for their prey: blood-sucking ticks. And that's not all: Sometimes the animals also transmit pathogens such as the TBE virus, which can have dangerous consequences. The good news: You can vaccinate against TBE.However, several vaccinations are required before good immune protection is established. So think about it in good time - ideally now.
If you want to protect yourself against tick-borne tick-borne meningoencephalitis (TBE) for the first time, you should get vaccinated now with a view to the 2021 tick season. This is recommended by the Center for Travel Medicine (CRM), among others. In this way it is ensured that the basic immunization is in place in good time in the coming year.
Several vaccinations necessary
The background to the recommendation is that a total of three doses of vaccine are necessary for reliable and long-term protection against TBE disease. The first two are injected one to three months apart. The third vaccination dose is then only given after another five to twelve months (depending on the manufacturer).
You can read more about how exactly the vaccination is administered, when booster vaccinations are advisable and which side effects can occur in our article on TBE vaccination.
RKI reports the highest level of TBE cases
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) had recently reported a new high of TBE cases with 535 diseases in the year to date. There were 14 percent more cases in Germany than in the same period in 2018, where there have been the most so far.
"Regardless of the annual number, we consider it advisable that people in Germany, especially in risk areas, get vaccinated", emphasizes Prof. Tomas Jelinek, scientific director of the CRM. The Standing Vaccination Commission of the RKI recommends vaccination protection for all people who live in a risk area and, for example, go for a walk in the forest - who are therefore "exposed to ticks". Anyone traveling to a TBE risk area should also think about it.
Risk areas in Germany
According to the RKI, the risk areas include large parts of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg as well as the south of Hesse and Thuringia and parts of Saxony. Individual districts in Rhineland-Palatinate and northern Hesse as well as the district of Emsland in Lower Saxony are also considered risk areas.
The first signs of TBE appear around two to three weeks after the tick bite through flu-like symptoms. In some cases, sufferers have no symptoms at all. TBE usually heals without consequences. In severe cases, the virus can also attack and inflame the brain, meninges and spinal cord. Possible consequences are paralysis, seizures and impaired consciousness. (approx / dpa)
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