Tick-borne encephalitis is now endemic in 27 European countries

TBE virus attacks the nervous system and can cause both mild and severe illnesses, with permanent consequences such as concentration problems, paralysis and depression. Approximately every 100th case results in the death of the affected person.

Vaccination is recommended for everyone, children and adults alike, residing in - or traveling to - endemic areas." (I. Mutz, MD, Leoben)

TBE virus is common in endemic foci in

Not every tick transmits the dangerous TBE virus, but the rate of infestation in some high-risk areas can be great. In certain areas, one can find ticks at altitudes of up to 1,800 metres above sea level; infections of the TBE virus have been reported at altitudes of 1,300 metres.

Where do ticks hide?
Many still believe that ticks fall from trees. They, in fact, live in the soil and don't climb much higher than 20 to 70 centimetresonto grasses and bushes in their search for a blood host (people, animals). Therefore, we generally brush ticks off vegetation when we pass through grasses or by bushes along forest paths, or when we walk on lawns and in the garden. Ticks have temperature-geared olfactory senses that detect "prey". Many infected people cannot remember ever being bitten because of the small size of the ticks.

Prevention Tips:

·      Wear light-coloured clothing that shows ticks easily and covers arms and legs. Wear long-sleeved shirts, tight at the wrists, long pants tight at the ankles and tucked into socks, and shoes covering the whole foot.

·      Apply diethyltoluamide (e.g., DEET) to skin and permethrin to clothing. But do not apply it to clothing while it is being worn, and allow the clothing to thoroughly dry before wearing.

·      Perform daily checks of skin for ticks. Check children two to three times a day. Check under waist bands, sock tops, under arms, and any other moist areas.

·      Remove ticks by using fine-tipped tweezers. Grasp the tick firmly and as closely to the skin as possible. Use a steady motion; pull the tick's body away from the skin without rotation. If parts of the tick remain stuck in the skin, they should be removed as soon as possible. Suffocating the tick with oil, cream etc. may induce injection of more infectious material into the body - so do not use petroleum jelly, burning matches or cigarette ends, nail polish or other products.

http://www.tbe-prevention.info/m-4557.php 
Currently no causal treatment is known for TBE. Prevention by special clothing and/or tick repellents has proven not reliable enough.

However TBE can be successfully prevented by active immunisation. Correctly performed vaccination builds up specific antibodies. These antibodies are sufficient to immediately fight an infection caused by the bite of an infected tick, so that the spread of viruses in the body is prevented.

Here at The Travel Clinic Ltd in Cambridge and Ipswich, the course of vaccines is two injections before travelling and the third five to nine months to provide long term cover.