Number of cases of Lyme disease by tick bite

Duration: 3 minutes

E rlangen (dpa / lby) – The number of borreliosis cases caused by tick bites in Bavaria has peaked this year. So far, nearly 2,200 cases of Lyme disease have been reported in the free state, said a spokeswoman for the National Office of Public Health (LGL) in Erlangen. This is the highest number of reported cases since the introduction of the reporting requirement in 2013. It is about ten percent higher than that of 2016 – the only one that is reported. year with the greatest number of recordings. In the comparative period in 2017, there were about 1,500 reported diseases. If the current number in the context of the usual fluctuations, could not say the spokesman.

Among the possible causes of the increase is good weather: If many people are in the wild and find the ticks in favorable conditions, there are also more tick bites. And the more animals are infected with the pathogen, the more likely it is to transmit to humans. However, the data available up to here from Germany would give no indication of an increase in tick infection rates with Borrelia, it was said by the Office of 39; State. About 5 to 35 percent of ticks are infected with Borrelia, according to LGL.

Lyme disease is the most common infectious disease transmitted by ticks. It often starts with the so-called Wanderröte – a red ring that forms around the tick and gets bigger. Other symptoms may include muscle and joint pain and fever – even weeks after the sting. In the absence of treatment, the disease can lead to long-term consequences, such as joint damage, myocardial disease or neuritis.

There is no vaccine against pathogens; However, antibiotics help. The likelihood of transmission increases plus the tick can suck the blood. Therefore, animals should be removed from the skin as soon as possible.

In contrast, the number of meningitis remained constant at nearly 90 cases compared to the previous year. The number of reported cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) varies considerably from one year to the next – the range for the entire year ranges from 80 cases in 2002 to nearly 230 cases in 2017. TBE is caused by viruses. The febrile illness sometimes affects the meninges. In particularly severe cases, it can lead to encephalitis and spinal cord injury and paralysis. There are no medicines for the treatment of FSME, but you can be vaccinated against him.

The risk of infection by FSME is particularly high in southern Germany (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, southern Hesse). More and more areas of the Free State are declared a risk area. For Lyme disease, however, no risk zone is defined.

LGL ​​to FSME

LGL ​​to Lyme Disease