Tick-borne encephalitis

Abstract

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a multisystemic disease showing unspecific symptoms and severe neurological disorders such as meningitis and encephalitis. It is caused by a flavivirus (TBE virus) and is mainly transmitted to humans by ticks. In Germany, nearly 90 % of all TBE cases occur in Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg. In 2020, the highest number of TBE cases to date was reported in Germany. Since there is no specific therapy for the treatment of TBE, disease prophylaxis is particularly important. In TBE risk areas, active immunization with inactivated TBE viruses, for which effective and safe vaccines are available, offers the most important protection strategy.