TBE is a viral disease of the central nervous system, which is transmitted to humans by tick bites.
TBE is a viral disease of the central nervous system, which is transmitted to man by tick bites. It causes significant morbidity, resulting in prolonged hospitalisation, with around half of those affected developing long-term neurological sequelae. The fatality rate is about 1-2%.
The virus persists in natural foci, covering almost the entire southern part of the non-tropical Eurasian forest belt. Today, due to increased mobility and recreational time, TBE infection is primarily acquired during leisure activities. In disease endemic areas, people with recreational or occupational exposure to rural or outdoor settings (e.g., hunters, campers, forest workers, farmers) are potentially at risk for infection by contact with the infected ticks. Furthermore, as tourism expands, travel to areas of endemicity broadens the definition of who is at risk for TBE infection.
Where vaccination has been offered, morbidity and mortality have been dramatically reduced, particularly in those areas of high risk. In Austria, for example, prior to the introduction of vaccination in 1981, the incidence of TBE was around 700 cases per year. Today, with 85% of the population vaccinated, this figure has dropped to 40-60 cases annually.
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