Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a tick-borne viral disease that can cause disability and even death. Vaccinations, which are worth starting at the turn of February and March, are most effective in protecting against it, doctors said on Wednesday at a press conference in Warsaw.
At the same time, they emphasized that vaccination itself does not exempt us from using direct protection against ticks, such as tight clothing and spraying repellants (the same ones that are used to repel insects), because these arachnids carry other serious diseases. These include, for example, bacterial borreliosis, for which there is no vaccine.
However, unlike Lyme disease, which – if detected early – can be effectively treated with antibiotics, there is no effective antiviral drug for TBE. We can only use symptomatic treatment, which is mandatory in a hospital – said the infectious diseases specialist Dr. Ewa Majda-Stanisławska from the Medical University of Łódź.
As she noted, the tick bite can be ignored, because all developmental forms of these arachnids are capable of it – not only adults or nymphs, but also invisible larvae. They also all transmit the TBE virus, which enters the bloodstream when the tick punctures the skin and starts sucking blood. In 70-80 percent. In cases, the infection ends with flu-like symptoms, such as low-grade fever, breaking bones. These cases are not recorded.
However, in 20-30 percent. People whose immune system is not that good at dealing with infection develop a central nervous system infection. It can take the form of meningitis, which mostly affects children and adolescents. It manifests itself in severe headaches that are not helped by ordinary painkillers; nausea and vomiting; fever reaching 40 degrees Celsius, mentioned Dr. Majda-Stanisławska.
On the other hand, adults, often older, develop encephalitis more often, which is much more difficult to diagnose and treat. It can be manifested by headaches, mood disorders, agitation, aggression, memory impairment, psychotic symptoms such as auditory and visual hallucinations, decreased intellectual performance, depression, and even muscle paresis and paralysis (especially when the spinal cord is also affected). These symptoms are considered typical of old age, therefore it is often difficult to diagnose TBE in the elderly, especially since it is usually not accompanied by fever.
Treatment of this form of TBE may take up to a year. In one third of cases, the disease has permanent consequences, such as paralysis of the limbs and paresis, and in rarer cases it even leads to death.
According to Dr. Paweł Stefanoff from the National Institute of Public Health (NIZP) in Warsaw, 30 percent. areas of Poland are considered to be endemic areas of this disease. These are the Podlaskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie voivodships as well as some parts of Mazowieckie, Opolskie and Dolnośląskie voivodships. There are no officially registered cases of TBE in the remaining areas.
There are 350 cases of this disease in Poland annually, but this is only the tip of the iceberg, the specialist emphasized. According to him, this number may be underestimated, because outside endemic areas, doctors do not order a virological examination that would determine what is the cause of the infection of the nervous system. Doctors assume that since there is no specific cure for these infections anyway, it is a pity to spend money on diagnostics – emphasized the specialist. According to Dr. Majda-Stanisławska, the budget constraints of hospitals largely contribute to this.
However, thanks to research conducted in 2009 by scientists from the Department of Epidemiology of the NIPI, it was possible to identify new areas with TBE cases. They are located in the following voivodships: Małopolskie, Mazowieckie, Pomorskie and Świętokrzyskie.
According to Dr. Stefanoff, conducting the diagnosis of TBE is very important, as it will allow better targeting of the prevention of this severe infectious disease.
According to Dr. Agnieszka Wroczyńska from the Interdepartmental Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine in Gdynia, the risk of contracting TBE in some regions of Poland is comparable to the risk of typhoid fever during a trip to India. Therefore, the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate recommends vaccination against TBE to all people planning hiking and camping in forest and rural areas in endemic areas of the disease. It is the only vaccination recommended by GIS for tourists traveling in Poland. People working in the field, such as farmers and foresters, should also be vaccinated against the virus.
The endemic areas of KZM include the Baltic countries, Austria and other Central European countries, the Federation and some Asian countries, such as Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and China.
According to Dr. Majda-Stanisławska, the turn of February and March is a good time to start vaccinating against TBE. Thanks to this, you can provide protection from the beginning of tick activity, which lasts from April to October. The full vaccination schedule includes a total of 3 doses that give immunity for 5 years. An accelerated scheme is also possible, but then the resistance is shorter – approx. 3 years. Children from 1 year of age can be vaccinated.
As part of the educational program Tick Brain Inflammation. Prevent! Get vaccinated! in March, the second edition of Green Days begins all over Poland, as part of which a mobile KZM vaccination point will be delivered to 8 cities. More information about the program and route of the tick can be found on the website www.kleszczinfo.pl. (PAP)