Tick-borne encephalitis is a disease of the brain caused by a virus found in many parts of Europe as well as central and eastern Asia. As the name indicates, the virus is spread by tick bites. The number of people infected each year varies according to complex interactions involving the ticks’environment, the weather, and human socioeconomic and vaccination status. To determine how well vaccine protects against the disease, researchers compared the number of cases in 3 neighboring countries in which vaccination coverage differs but many other factors remain the same: Austria (where more than three quarters of the population are vaccinated) and Slovenia and the Czech Republic (where less than one quarter of the population are vaccinated). They found far fewer cases in Austria, indicating that vaccination is an excellent way to prevent this disease.

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Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) developed in 3 persons in Slovenia who drank raw milk; a fourth person, who had been vaccinated against TBE, remained healthy. TBE virus RNA was detected in serum and milk of the source goat. Persons in TBE-endemic areas should be encouraged to drink only boiled/pasteurized milk and to be vaccinated.

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