Attention, ticks! High TBE risk in Lower Saxony-this is how you protect yourself!

Attention, ticks! High TBE risk in Lower Saxony-this is how you protect yourself!

In Lower Saxony, the weather at the weekend is high temperatures and rain. But while many are looking forward to the sun's rays, there is also an important warning from the Lower Saxony State Health Office (NLGA): the ticks are on the move again. These small arachnids have the risk of transmission of dangerous diseases such as early summer meningoencephalitis (TBE) and Lyme disease. So if you are traveling in nature, you should be particularly careful.

Tick activity is particularly high this year, and therefore a TBE vaccination for people in risk areas, travelers there and nature professors are strongly recommended. Because the two risk areas in Lower Saxony, the district of Emsland and the district of Celle, which had only been added since February 2025, are at the top of the list of areas where TBE-infected ticks were found. This region, such as the Medical Center Lower Saxony reported, an alarming increase in FBE cases-in 2024 a total of 686 diseases have been recorded in Germany since the beginning of the Data acquisition 2001.

preventive measures

The symptoms of TBE can be flu -like, but develop quickly and, in the worst case, lead to meningitis. Fever, headache and vomiting are typical signs. Borreliosis, on the other hand, has no vaccination and first appears through redness around the puncture site. Both diseases are serious, since in the worst case, TBE can lead to long -term damage to the brain or paralysis.

In order to protect yourself from these unpleasant consequences, the experts from the NLGA recommend that ticks as quickly as possible, wear hard -wearing, bright clothing and the use of insect protection products. In addition, nature lovers should be careful to search thoroughly after staying outdoors. Especially in the time when the temperatures reach up to 30 degrees and the humidity increases, one should be particularly careful.

what applies in general?

The common tick types, especially the wooden goat, are widespread throughout Lower Saxony. In the meantime, tropical tick types are rarely reported. It is a widespread mistake to believe that TBE risk areas are only identical to tick areas. In fact, ticks can hike all over Germany, and despite a high risk in certain areas, they can be found everywhere.

The Portal Zecken.de pointed out that TBE-viren is immediately transmitted when the tick is stabbed. Therefore, vaccination protection is of crucial importance, especially for residents or visitors to the risk areas, while trips to European risk areas should also be recommended. A conversation with the family doctor can help clarify personal vaccination protection, since the statutory health insurance companies usually cover the costs for immunization.

Overall, citizens in Lower Saxony should be vigilant and take protective measures. In nature, not only beautiful views lurk, but also health risks that can often be averted by preventive measures. Here it says: Caution is better than forbearance!