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Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is one of Europe’s most serious neurological infections. Symptoms include fever, headaches, walking difficulties, paralysis, and, in the worst cases, death. There is no treatment for TBE. Only the symptoms are treated.
The TBE virus is usually transmitted to humans by ticks during a bite. The virus is found throughout Austria and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. It takes two to 28 days from the bite of the infected tick to the illness. TBE is not transmitted from person to person.
According to the latest Virus Epidemiology Information (VEI), in 2024, Upper Austria had the most cases (49), followed by Styria (22). 158 TBE sufferers had to be hospitalized throughout Austria.
Fifty-three percent of those infected have a severe course. They suffer from neurological symptoms such as meningitis, spinal cord, or nerve root inflammation. In the worst cases, patients do not recover completely.
Vaccination protects
The TBE vaccination offers good protection against the disease. The Austrian vaccination schedule recommends the TBE vaccination for children from the age of one. The protective effect begins around two weeks after the second vaccination, four weeks after the first. Depending on the vaccine, the third jab is recommended five to twelve or nine to twelve weeks after the second. The first booster vaccination is recommended three years after the third vaccination, every five years, and every three years for people aged 60 and over.
- source: oe24.at/picture: Image by Erik Karits from Pixabay
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