In recent years, the topic of ticks and their unpleasant side effects such as TBE has become topical again. The Austrian Association of Vaccine Manufacturers now recommends that you should check your vaccination card in good time before you leave on vacation.

It is believed that TBE is becoming an increasing problem. This disease is mainly transmitted through tick bites. The virus has even arrived in the far north of Europe or in the popular southern holiday countries. In Austria, there is no escaping the risk of a tick bite – and thus a possible infection with TBE – anyway. After all, the whole country is considered an endemic area. Now is the time to check your vaccination record and get a booster vaccination if necessary, after all the long weekends are just around the corner and for many people a time out in nature.  

The warm temperatures and the long weekends ahead invite you to take part in outdoor leisure activities. But you should consider: You can even be bitten by a tick while cycling or golfing. It's enough if you bump into the bushes when driving past or get the golf ball out of the tall grass. Ticks can "drop and claw" very quickly, especially if they make direct contact with bare skin.  

It goes without saying that hiking increases your own exposure to ticks, especially if you are traveling in middle altitudes. However, ticks can also be found – somewhat less frequently – at higher altitudes, even at altitudes of over 1000 meters. You should be particularly careful when having a picnic or when enjoying unpasteurized milk products on the alpine pasture. The latter is also a known transmission route for TBE, albeit a rather rare one.  

In any case, after all these activities, it makes sense to check the body for ticks - even very small ones, the so-called nymphs, which look like a small dot - and, if necessary, to carefully remove them with tick tweezers or tweezers. "The faster a tick can be removed, the lower the probability of becoming infected with Lyme disease," emphasizes Dr. Erwin Rebhandl, general practitioner in Upper Austria and President of AM plus, the initiative for general medicine and health. "You can only protect yourself from TBE by regular vaccination." 

Anyone who likes to romp around with their dog in the countryside or go hiking should not forget that dogs can also bring ticks into the house. Basically, ticks love people and animals alike. They like to hide in the fur of pets and can thus get onto human skin via detours, especially when playing or cuddling.