Researcher fears spread of TBE virus in the north

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• Infectious disease researcher Gerhard Dobler has been studying the prevalence and activity of TBE virus in Germany since 2009.
• Assuming that the tick-borne virus will continue to spread northwards, contradicts the opinion of Robert Koch

The spread of ticks, which cause meningitis causing FSME exciters, is characterized up to here by a strong north-south division. Infection researcher Gerhard Dobler is concerned that this is changing.

"We are already seeing that the TBE virus is spreading further north and that there is a trend towards the northwest," said the expert. New Osnabrück Newspaper. "" I'm still waiting for a spread to the West. "

The evaluation of the Robert Koch Institute, which with major changes is not to be expected, it does not share said the expert.

number TBE cases vary between 250 and 500

Molecular biology studies of TBE agents from different European regions have shown, according to Dobler, that viruses are distributed among other things on well-known bird migration lines.

The Mikrobiology of the Bundeswehr, a partner institute of the German Infection Research Center ( DZIF), studies the distribution and activity of TBE virus in Germany since

according to his statements of early meningoencephalitis (TBE) in early summer ] in recent years, between 250 and 500 in the whole country.

More on this subject : Tick-st ing: How to quickly remove ticks from the skin

Ticks continue to migrate north

The vast majority of them (85%) were also in 2017 The south of Germany s & nbsp; Is produced. However, people living in private gardens in Berlin had been contaminated in municipal parks in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and on the border between Lower Saxony and the Netherlands.

In Lower Saxony, a recent study of the National Office of Health (NLGA) TBE virus. However, areas at risk are not reported in the federal state

" Development varies greatly from one region to another ," said Dr. Dobler. . Thus, the number of TBE cases in Lower Franconia, Hesse, Odenwald and also in North Baden-Württemberg has even decreased significantly. "At the moment, we do not know what makes FSME disappear".

In general, however, it can be said that in Germany, dangerous meningitis recently reappeared in regions between 600 and 700 Meters higher