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There are more ticks this summer than in ten years. A tick bite threatens the transmission of FSME. How to protect yourself
The forest walk on a beautiful spring day can end with a bitter surprise. Soon it happened: A tick stabbed. "This summer, there will be a particularly high number of ticks and therefore a higher risk of contracting meningitis or Lyme disease," the German Infection Research Center said recently.
TBE risk zones currently comprise 156 districts in Germany. These include almost all of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, but also parts of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Thuringia, Saxony and Saarland. The tick scientist Gerhard Dobler fears that the TBE virus is spreading even further in the north.
Ticks 2018: risk areas throughout Bavaria and increased risk of TBE
A model has been developed according to which the large number of ticks can be determined in winter, says Privatdozent Gerhard Dobler of the Institute of microbiology of the Bundeswehr. "We will have the greatest number of ticks in the last ten years." Meanwhile, almost all of Bavaria is considered a risk area – 88 of the 96 counties and independent cities are concerned. These included districts of the region, such as Günzburg or Augsburg.
This can be dangerous because ticks transmit diseases such as tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). The tick lives in shrubs until an animal or human passes by, where it can attach itself. He stings, sucks blood from the body and releases some of his saliva. This is so that TBE agent enters the human body. The result can be flu-like symptoms as well as a fever or meningitis that, in the worst case, are fatal.
More ticks than in previous years: What to do in case of ticks?
Markus Frühwein, a specialist in tropical medicine in Munich, "You can do it yourself or see a family doctor," he says. However, patients should be careful not to irritate the animal because it also transmits more pathogens. "The best way to remove the tick with a pair of pliers." TBE is transmitted very quickly. There is no treatment for the disease itself. "Only a vaccine helps against the virus," explains Frühwein. This is simple and well tolerated.
(AZ)
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