As temperatures rise, tick season is starting again across Switzerland. Ticks become active from around seven to eight degrees Celsius, and with increasingly mild winters, their active season now often lasts significantly longer than it did in the past. Esther Künzli, Co-Head of the Centre for Tropical and Travel Medicine at Swiss TPH, comments.
"Ticks are no longer only a concern during summer walks in the forest. Today, they are found across almost all of Switzerland – in forests, meadows, parks, gardens and even at higher altitudes of up to 2,000 metres above sea level.
Two diseases transmitted by ticks are particularly relevant: tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Lyme borreliosis. Both have increased in recent years in Switzerland.
TBE is a viral infection that can lead to inflammation of the brain and meninges. In some cases, the disease can be severe and may cause lasting neurological damage. Except for Ticino, all of Switzerland is now considered a TBE risk area. There is a safe and effective vaccine against TBE. The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health recommends vaccination for anyone exposed to ticks in risk areas – in practice, this means almost the entire population, generally from the age of three.
Lyme borreliosis, by contrast, is caused by bacteria and is much more common. It can affect the skin, joints, heart and nervous system. There is no vaccine against Lyme borreliosis, but it can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed. Because Borrelia bacteria are transmitted more slowly from tick to human than the TBE virus, removing a tick quickly is particularly important. In Switzerland, an estimated 5 to 30 percent of ticks carry Borrelia bacteria, while around 1 percent carry the TBE virus.
Many people underestimate the risk because tick bites often go unnoticed. Prevention therefore begins before the bite: wearing long clothing, closed shoes, using repellents, checking the body after spending time outdoors – and keeping TBE vaccination up to date."
Esther Künzli is Co-Head of the Centre for Tropical and Travel Medicine at Swiss TPH. She is a specialist in general internal medicine as well as tropical and travel medicine, advising patients on vaccinations, travel-related health risks and infectious diseases.
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