Infectious Diseases

Biography

Biography: Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska

Abstract

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a preventable disease. However, it is rapidly becoming a growing public health problem in Europe and other parts of the world. It’s endemic in 27 European countries. The total annual number of cases is estimated to be up to 10,000 in Russia and about 3,000 in European countries. TBE may take various course with different severity (meningitis, meningoencephalitis, meningoencephalomyelitis or meningoencephalo-radiculitis). The fatality rate in adult patients is less than 2%. However, severe courses of TBE infection with higher mortality and long-lasting sequelae often affect the patient’s quality of life. So far no causal treatment is known but a very efficient and well-tolerated vaccination is available for protection against the disease. Vaccination is recommended to children and adults living in or travelling to endemic areas. Only in Austria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Slovenia, Russia and Switzerland, TBE vaccination is included in an official governmental vaccination programme under certain conditions. In the remaining European countries, it is available as an optional vaccination, partly recommended, but not reimbursed by health insurance companies. In Poland, only forest worker are vaccinated obligatory, and we observe TBE in them rarely. In other groups we observe fatal cases, severe sequelaes (neurological, psychiatric), which affects everyday life.
The aim of this lecture is to increase awareness of anti-TBE vaccination need in all endemic countries.