The rising tide of tick-borne encephalitis across European nations

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a severe viral disease that predominantly affects the central nervous system. This debilitating condition is caused by the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a member of the Flavivirus genus within the Flaviviridae family. The disease manifests through three primary subtypes: the Far-eastern (TBEV-FE), Siberian (TBEV-Sib) and European (TBEV-Eu). The vector of TBEV-Eu is Ixodes Ricinus, and Ixodes Persulcatus for the other two subtypes. TBEV is transmitted from the saliva of an infected tick within minutes of the tick-bite.1 Historically, TBE has been endemic in the forested regions of Europe and Asia. Ticks, rodents, and insectivores are the primary carriers of TBEV. However, domestic animals can also contract the virus. Europe is currently witnessing an alarming surge in TBE cases (Figure 1). Notable outbreaks have been reported in countries like Sweden, Denmark, France. For instance, Sweden recorded an astonishing 170 cases in the month of August.2 In recent months, countries such as Sweden, France, Czech Republic, Denmark, and Slovakia have experienced outbreaks. Notably, the Czech Republic reported the most cases in 2023.3,4 The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and ProMed’s reports revealed that the Czech Republic had an alarming 4863 cases. Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, and Poland were next in line with significant numbers. Interestingly, Western European countries like Italy, France and Belgium have reported relatively fewer cases compared to their Central and Eastern European counterparts (Table 1). This disparity highlights the varying degrees of TBE prevalence across the whole continent. Most TBE cases are reported during the peak tick activity period, which in Central Europe spans from April to November.5 The recent classification of TBE as a notifiable disease in May 2021 further emphasizes its escalating public health importance in Europe.6