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TBE (FSME) TICK VACCINATIONS

Updated: Feb 4, 2023

Every spring/summer in Austria there is a high risk of you or your children becoming a tick's lunch. This is a problem in every province of the country. Ticks lurk in long grass and trees waiting for someone to brush past them. They crawl to a suitable spot on your skin, cut a painless incision and quietly drink blood. If their saliva is infected with a disease then this is passed on to their host.

Lyme disease and early summer meningoencephalitis (TBE in English or FSME in German) are the most common tick-borne diseases in Austria.


Lyme disease (Borreliosis)

Lyme disease can cause fevers, headaches, muscle pain and a lack of energy which can last for months. (See ECDC article)

An early symptom of Lyme disease can be a target-like rash on the skin. You should immediately go to the doctor to be given a course of antibiotics if you have this.

There is no currently available vaccine against Lyme disease so it is important to take preventative measures.


Early summer meningoencephalitis

FSME/TBE can affect the brain and cause brain inflammation. It can cause fevers, headaches, long-term complications and even paralysis and death. (ECDC article).

There are vaccinations available which cost around €30 in Austria depending on the province.

The biggest problem (in my limited experience) is keeping to the vaccination schedule, especially for a family.


Preventative measures against ticks

To reduce the risk of become host to a tick the following measures are recommended:

  • Wear long trousers

  • Use an effective insect repellent (e.g. one containing DEET)

  • Check yourself, your children and your pets when you return from a walk in the countryside

Tick removal

If you discover a tick on your body, remove it carefully. This UK NHS webpage has a clear guide to tick removal: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/.


FSME vaccinations

FSME vaccination schedule for children

  • First vaccination: After a child's first birthday

  • Second vaccination: 4 weeks after the first vaccination

  • Third vaccination: 5 – 12 or 9 – 12 months after the second vaccination – depending on vaccine

  • First booster vaccination: 3 years after the third vaccination

  • Additional booster vaccinations: Every 5 years


FSME vaccination schedule for adults

  • First Vaccination: Any time

  • Second vaccination: 4 weeks after the first vaccination

  • Third vaccination: 5 – 12 or 9 – 12 months after the second vaccination – depending on vaccine

  • First booster vaccination: 3 years after the third vaccination

  • Additional booster vaccinations:

    • Every 5 years (those under 60)

    • Every 3 years (those over 60)

There is also a fast-track option - ask your doctor.



Please seek medical advice, especially regarding vaccinations for children: ask your family doctor!


Local information by province

We have listed below the local information which is available in each province, including financial support. Some provinces provide more information than others:

Salzburg

Schools in Salzburg have vouchers for you to buy the vaccination for your children at a €10 discount. Your child's school should be publicising this, but if the message doesn't get through to you (one reason might be the language barrier that many of us face), you can download the voucher (Gutschein) from the bottom of this article. You should be able to send this form into school with your child where it will be stamped. You can then take it to a pharmacy who will provide the vaccine. You then finally book an appointment with your doctor to administer it.

Information about the schools vaccination initiative: https://www.salzburg.gv.at/themen/gesundheit/impfungen/impfaktionen/fsme-impfaktion

Further information from Land Salzburg: https://www.salzburg.gv.at/themen/gesundheit/impfungen/fsme


Burgenland

Little information is available from Burgenland about the FSME vaccination. Here is the link to the relevant webpage: https://www.burgenland.at/themen/gesundheit/impfungen/fsme-impfung/

Tirol

Here is the vaccination page of the Tyrol government website. FSME isn't mentioned: https://www.tirol.gv.at/gesundheit-vorsorge/impfungen/

FSME is a recommended vaccination for adults on this page: https://www.tirol.gv.at/gesundheit-vorsorge/impfungen/impfungen-fuer-erwachsene/

Land Tirol has produced this very unreadable PDF: https://www.tirol.gv.at/fileadmin/themen/gesundheit-vorsorge/lds-sanitaetsdirektion/downloads/AktuellReiseInfoEv/02INFO_FSME-IMMUN_Junior.pdf

Upper Austria

Upper Austria identifies itself (together with Tirol and Styria) as having one of the biggest problems with tick-borne illnesses in Austria.

Recommended vaccinations for adults: https://www.land-oberoesterreich.gv.at/22782.htm

Upper Austria offers discounted vaccinations for adults and children. This from 2022: https://www.land-oberoesterreich.gv.at/276539.htm#:~:text=Die%20Kosten%20f%C3%BCr%20eine%20FSME,Lebensjahr.

Vorarlberg

This is the vaccination webpage of the local government in Vorarlberg: https://vorarlberg.at/-/impfungen


Sources and further information


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