Effect of Vaccination Against Tick-Borne Encephalitis

Mass vaccination in Austria decreased the incidence of infection by about 84%, compared with the prevaccination era.

Caused by a flavivirus, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is endemic in Europe and central and eastern Asia and accounts for >10,000 hospitalizations each year. Although two effective inactivated whole-virus vaccines are available in Europe, coverage varies greatly by country. To assess the effectiveness of vaccination, investigators (with partial industry support) examined TBE incidence from 1972 through 2011 in Austria, where these vaccines are widely used. They compared data for Austria with figures for the Czech Republic and Slovenia, neighboring countries with high TBE incidence rates and low vaccine use. All three countries have well-established systems for documenting laboratory-confirmed cases.

TBE vaccination in Austria began in 1972; c…

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine