Germany threatens the invasion of ticks: how to protect yourself

Ticks have an easy game in the summer. In search of vertebrates to which they can hang, they are waiting for the grass and bushes for their occasion. Once hooked to human skin, the arachnid bites through the layers of the skin and sucks into the bloodstream.

Dangerous viruses are often transported into the human bloodstream. Among them

TBE and Lyme disease, which often end in death. However, you can protect yourself in advance of annoying animals and thus avoid a great risk.

"We will have the greatest number of ticks in the last ten years"

Privatdozent Dr. med. Gerhard Dobler is certain that ticks could become a major problem in the summer of 2018: "This year, the risk is particularly high," he said in a press release from the German Center for Infectious Diseases. Dobler predicts that there will be a record number of ticks this summer.

More ticks also mean that the risk of getting infected increases dramatically. Especially tourists and people in southern Germany should plan to hike in the woods. There, the number of ticks carrying the dangerous

TBE [194559005] is significantly higher than in other regions.

Long trousers are often not enough

100% protection against ticks can not be achieved. Even with good prevention, the arachnids might find a loophole and a strike. It is generally recommended that people, especially children, be vaccinated against the TBE virus. Unlike

Lyme disease the infection is already transmitted directly after the tick bite. There is no effective and licensed vaccine against Lyme disease.

In addition, be careful to walk in long pants and go hiking. Ticks like to hide in the shade on grasses and shrubs in the forest. There, infected tick rates are also much higher than in open grassy areas.

Mosquito sprays that also act against ticks are also recommended. Care must be taken to ensure that protection is uniformly applied. When walking, always keep your eyes open and do not check ticks at night. Anyone who discovers early common wood blocks minimizes the risk of infection. So: check for each break once. Especially on the legs.