Risk of tick bites in Thuringia: Up to now, 249 cases of Lyme Disease

Erfurt. After tick bites in Thuringia eight people have been suffering from tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) since the beginning of the year. That's as much as in 2017 and 2016 every year, as the Thuringian Ministry of Health has announced on request. Most often transmitted by borreliosis ticks caught until the middle of last week 249 Thuringia.

The number of annual infections per borreliosis fluctuated between 335 and 659. Forest experts expect a particularly high number of ticks this summer.

The Thuringian Forest Institute has recently warned of an increased risk of tick infection, TBE and Lyme disease are the most well-known. TBE is caused by viruses. Symptoms range from flu to inflammation of the meninges, brain and spinal cord. In extreme cases, the disease is fatal.

Borreliosis, which is often recognized for the first time by circular redness around the puncture site on the skin, is caused by bacteria (Borrelia). Here, a total of 454 cases have been reported in 2017. It is possible to catch Lyme disease from infected ticks all over the country.

Ten regions are considered risk areas for TBE in Thuringia . They are mainly in the east and south of Thuringia. There is a vaccination against TBE. Last year, according to the Federal Association of German Pharmacists Associations (ABDA) in Thuringia 78 doses of vaccines were administered per 1000 statutory health insurance.

The Thuringian Forest warns of many ticks before the summer