Vaccination against ticks on the Swiss scale becomes the subject – News Knowledge: Nature

By mid-July, 226 people had already been infected with tick-borne encephalitis virus. It's only 43 less than last year. The Swiss Federal Immunization Commission is currently studying a recommendation for vaccination in Switzerland

The areas of Switzerland where ticks with tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE) are found continue to increase. said Christoph Berger, chairman of the Federal Commission's Impact Issues (EKIF), said Tuesday at the Keystone-SDA news agency. "Soon, the hazard map indicates that almost all of Switzerland is affected, with the exception of Ticino"

That is why a national vaccination recommendation would make sense for all of Switzerland, said Mr. Berger. He confirmed a message in the SRF program "This morning". A working group will analyze the situation and then make a recommendation to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

In Berger's opinion, a Swiss vaccination recommendation would be the right approach as the number of cases increases each year. While the BAG still had 1.42 TBB cases per 100,000 population in 2015, this year's figure is already 4.96. "Any brain disease that can be prevented, you have to prevent," said Berger.

An extension of the vaccine recommendation would also affect Medicare. Because today, they should only take the vaccine for people living or staying temporarily in a risk area.

Only a small proportion of ticks are dangerous

The season when ticks are particularly active starts in March according to the weather and ends in November. Although carriers of the TBE virus are just a few of the blood suckers. Many more are infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. About 6,000 to 12,000 people suffer from Lyme disease annually. This is treated with antibiotics. In borreliosis, a bacterium is transmitted in TBE a virus.

Tick bites infected with TBE can trigger two relapses of the disease. At first, the symptoms resemble those of the flu: fever, fatigue or joint discomfort 7 to 14 days later.

5 to 15% of patients suffer from a second episode lasting for months and symptoms of meningitis or brain inflammation. having. These symptoms can cause paralysis and permanent disability. About 1% of TBE cases are fatal. (nlu / sda)

Created: 24.07.2018, 15:40