Attention: Cacking season 2025 begins - risk of TBE increases!

Attention: Cacking season 2025 begins - risk of TBE increases!

The cile season 2025 has started in Germany, and with it the risk of TBE infections increases, especially in designated risk areas. As swp.de reported in Saarland in 2024 were registered in Saarland. This underlines the importance of information and protective measures in these regions, since the transfer can be carried out by tick bites.

With a look at Germany as a whole, it turns out that Bavaria is particularly affected by TBE. Most TBE infections are recorded there with 266 cases. This can be seen from the data of the n-tv.de . According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI, risk areas are classified based on the frequency of reported cases in accordance with the Infection Protection Act (IFSG).

design of risk areas

The RKI assessment is carried out using statistical methods. A district is considered a TBE risk area if more cases are reported over a period of five years than would be expected annually due to an incidence of one case per 100,000 inhabitants. In Germany, 183 circles are currently classified as TBE risk areas, whereby the status is usually preserved for at least 20 years, unless there are significant declines in TBE natural herds.

This year three new risk areas were shown by the RKI: the city district of Augsburg, the district of Elbe-Elster in Brandenburg and the district of Celle in Lower Saxony. This expansion shows that increased clarification measures are necessary to draw the population aware of the risks in these areas.

Current risk areas

In addition to the new risk areas, important TBE risk areas in Germany are among the well-known high-risk regions:

• Bayern
• Baden-Württemberg
• Südhessen
• southeastern Thuringia
• sachsen
• southeastern Brandenburg

The RKI has also found that a total of 686 TBE diseases were reported for 2024, the second highest number since 2001. In recent years there has been an increase in infections, with a maximum value of 718 cases in 2020. These statistics make it clear that despite a decline by 16 % in 2023, as a 475 THE diseases, there was a need for action.

vaccination recommendations and prevention

The constant vaccination commission recommends a TBE vaccination for people who live in risk areas or work in professions that hide a higher risk, as in forestry or agriculture. Alarming 99 % of the reported TBE diseases have occurred in 2023 for people who were not at all or only insufficiently vaccinated. These circumstances illustrate the urgency of vaccination and prevention vaccination.

Overall, all of Germany should be considered as a potential risk area, taking into account the risk analysis, especially in times when the tick season is active. The appeal to the population for the ongoing examination of these risks remains essential. Further information can be found on DGK.de .