EpidemiologicalSurvey of Tick-borne Encephalitis in Southern Bohemia

Overview

Southern Bohemia is one of the extensive natural foci of tick-borne encephalitis (TE) in the CzechRepublic. Some professionals hold the view that people living in the focus of infection acquirenaturally herd immunity and are the protected against the infection and thus it is not necessary tovaccinate them against TE. Several serious cases of the disease in temporal sequence in Římov inthe district of České Budějovice led the authors to examine more closely the problem of TE in thislocality. Available epidemiological data were analyzed. A group of subjectswith permanent residencein the community was assembled who were interested to participate in the trial. In theseserological examinations were made to assess antibodies against TE.Analysis of the assembled data proved that during permanent residence in Římov 6.07% of theinvestigated group during their life in Římov developed the manifest form of TE, 9.64% developedthe inapparent form and 15% subjects had antibodies after previous vaccination. The ratio ofmanifest and inapparent cases is 6.07:9.64, i.e.roughly 2:3. The total seroprevalence after the disease(manifest and inapparent) is 16%. Persons with a negative result of the examination were offeredvaccination. The vaccination rate increased due to the authors’ intervention from 15% to 65% in thegiven community.

Key words:
epidemiological survey of tick-borne encephalitis – ratio of manifest and inapparentcases – postvaccination antibody response – vaccination rate against tick-borne encephalitis inŘímov, southern Bohemia