Important FSME areas in Germany are Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Here, the risk of contracting tick-borne tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is much higher than in other regions. There are also TBE risk areas in Hesse and Thuringia, as well as in various other countries. Find out more about TBE areas in Germany and abroad here!
TBE areas: Germany
In contrast to Lyme disease – another tick-borne infectious disease – TBE occurs only in certain areas of Germany. That’s special Bavaria and Baden-Wurttembergbut also that southern Hesse (Odenwald) and that southeastern Thuringia, Some counties are also classified as FSME areas, namely in Central Hesse (District Marburg-Biedenkopf), Rhineland-Palatinate (Birkenfeld district), Saxony (Vogtlandkreis) and Saarland (Saar-Pfalz-Kreis). Outside these regions, TBE disorders are at most isolated.
The TBE risk areas may change slightly from year to year, depending on the extent to which the TBE virus spreads in the ticks population. These risk areas are strictly defined in Germany. As soon as a certain increase in illness is measured in an area, experts talk about a risk area.
The monitoring of the TBE areas and the number of illnesses lies with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). TBE is notifiable: Doctors and hospitals are required to notify all patients with proven TBE by name to the health department. These data finally land at the RKI. In this way, TBE areas can be regularly updated.
TBE areas: foreign countries
TBE areas can be found not only in Germany, but also in many other countries. These include above all:
- Austria
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- Slovak Republic
- Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)
- Russia
- Sweden (in southern and central parts of the country)
- Norway (south coast)
- Finland
- Denmark (Zealand, Bornholm)
- Hungary
- Croatia
- Slovenia
- Albania
Isolated cases of TBE are seen in France (Alsace), Italy (Trentino) and Greece.
There is no contagion risk for TBE according to current knowledge in:
- Portugal
- Spain
- Great Britain
- Belgium
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
TBE risk depends on season
Ticks become active from an ambient temperature of six to eight degrees. In addition, they need a high local humidity (> 80 percent). The TBE transmitters like it so warm and humid. The risk of infection for TBEs in a TBE area depends on the season: TBE infections are most common in spring and summer, sometimes even in autumn. If the winter falls in one TBE area very mild, it may also come as isolated TBE infections.