Acute tick plague: Beware of TBE, Lyme disease and the like

“Good for the ticks, bad for us.” Researchers fear that the number of ticks could skyrocket again this year. The German Red Cross warns of increased danger in summer. Why you should be careful in nature now.

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They annoy every summer, in some parts of the country more than in others – but this year it will be particularly bad, as researchers have found. And that can be really dangerous: The German Red Cross (DRK) warns of one Tick ​​plague in Germany. And with it the risk of diseases transmitted by small animals such as TBE or Lyme disease rises rapidly.

Tick ​​plague: 2020 will be a “tick year”

When it is nice and warm outside, it means: get out into the fresh air, preferably out into nature. But there the ticks lurk – and they can become really dangerous. Ticks carry many pathogens and can, if they bite, transmit them to humans and animals.

Because ticks need blood to secure their own and the lives of their offspring. Therefore, they stab and suck themselves tight. Correctly read, contrary to popular belief, ticks do not bite – they bite – and nest in the victim’s skin for several days, so to speak. And the longer they stay connected to their host, the higher the risk that pathogens from the tick to the host – whether humans or animals – migrate.

The southern areas in Germany are usually more at risk than the north – especially with regard to TBE transmissions. But this year we should all be careful:

The DRK predicts a true “tick year” for 2020. Because the tick density is particularly high this year. The season started in March. However, the number of cases for tick bites is still missing – it is therefore not yet possible to say anything about the level and severity of the transmitted diseases.

Rapid increase in ticks

The mild winter is again to blame. In February, researchers recorded the first reports of ticks. Overall, therefore, more ticks are expected in summer than in previous years. And that could be pretty extreme, 2018 was already considered the year with the “highest number of ticks in the past ten years”, as private lecturer Dr. Gerard Dobler from the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) emphasized at the time.

“This time the tick season started in March,” said DRK federal doctor Peter Sefrin in a message.

Increased risk of TBE and Lyme disease

However, there is still no confirmation for the number of cases of tick-borne diseases. Ticks sit mainly on bushes, shrubs, but also in grasses – and can jump open quickly when a suitable host comes by. Common woodbuck, a species of tick, is particularly common in Germany. This parasite is the main carrier of early summer meningoencephalitis, or TBE for short. The meningitis is triggered by viruses that wait in the tick and can be transmitted during the bite and the subsequent blood sucking process. This meningitis is incurable and can be fatal, but there is a preventive vaccination against TBE.

In TBE risk areas, for example on the TBE card of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), more infected ticks are more common than in others. There you should pay particular attention to tick bites.

In 2019, there was an increase in TBE cases, especially in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. No cases have been registered for 2020 – however, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has so far only figures until March 22.

TBE is a form of meningitis. How to recognize meningitis can be seen in the video:

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Already cases of borelliosis, especially in Saxony

Bacteria that trigger Lyme disease can also sit in the tick and be transmitted to humans or animals. About one in four ticks carries Lyme bacteria in them – and unlike TBE viruses, across Germany. There is no vaccine against this lengthy disease, but it can be treated with antibiotics. The recovery process can be very long and tiring for those affected, and the side effects of the disease, such as paralysis, should not be underestimated.

So far, the RKI has figures up to April 5, 2020 – and here in Saxony, for example, there were already 49 more cases compared to the same period in the previous year (January 1 to April 5) (2019: 124 cases, 2020: 173 cases). In other federal states, they are roughly on par or below the previous year’s figures.

But there are also increasing problems with exotic tick species. There are also first sightings and cases of the dangerous Hyalomma tick, which among other things transmits typhus. The brown dog tick is particularly dangerous for dogs and spreads further. The main reason for the growth of these tick species is the increasingly dry climate of the past few years.

Number of risk areas increased

In its report, however, the DRK refers to the higher number of risk areas in Germany. In the meantime, 164 districts have been defined as TBE risk areas. Most of them are still in southern Germany.

A circle is declared as a risk area for ticks if the disease data from several previous years has increased. TBE vaccination is particularly recommended in the affected areas for people who are increasingly out and about in nature.

Good, comprehensive tick protection is essential, especially this year. There are even a few home remedies for ticks that do a good job of preventing them. The best protection, however, is not to come into contact with a tick at all, to wear closed clothing and to avoid tall grass and bushes wherever possible. German Red Cross doctor Sefrin recommends avoiding running through thick undergrowth and tall grass and searching for body and clothing after spending time outdoors.

Here you will find the map of the RKI tick risk areas.

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