VIENNA, Austria, January 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- Experts of the International Scientific Working Group on Tick-Borne Encephalitis (ISW-TBE) Have Been Warning of the Dangers of Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) - Now Hikers are Among Those in Danger. Because Ticks, too, Have Been Climbing Higher.

The year 2008 marked the first time that ticks infected with the TBE virus were detected at more than 1,500 meters above sea level - one of the consequences of global warming. The ISW-TBE has been calling for vaccination against TBE to become a standard preventive measure for everybody traveling to endemic regions.

Increased mobility - increased risk

For travelers, failing to undergo preventive vaccination may have far-reaching consequences. TBE, a viral disease transmitted by ticks, affects the central nervous system. Its diverse forms of expression range from minor neurological dysfunction to impaired concentration, depression, severe paralysis, or even death.

Epidemiology of TBE

Since 1990, more than 157,500 cases of TBE have been registered in Europe, corresponding to 8,755 cases annually. Its climatic conditions make Austria a high-risk country for TBE. Because vaccination coverage in Austria is exceptionally high, the number of TBE cases has come down from 677 in 1979 to 86 in 2008, explains Professor Jochen Süss, Friedrich-Löffler-Institute, Jena. At a European level, says Professor Pier Luigi Lopalco from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). TBE is not yet a notifiable disease. However, we have been working to raise awareness of the dangers of TBE to motivate people to get vaccinated. Once infected, there is no causal treatment available.

ISW-TBE: Ten-Year Anniversary

For more than 10 years, the international working group ISW-TBE has been devoted to the fight against this life-threatening TBE virus.

Picture is available via EPA (European Pressphoto Agency) and can be downloaded free of charge at: http://www.presseportal.de/pm/64981/isw_tbe

Michael Leitner, Public Health PR-Projektgesellschaft mbH Tel: +43(0)1-6020530-0 Email: michael.leitner@publichealth.at http://www.ISW-TBE.info http://www.TBE-prevention.info, and http://www.tick-victims.info.

Michael Leitner, Public Health PR-Projektgesellschaft mbH, Tel: +43(0)1-6020530-0, Email: michael.leitner@publichealth.at