Essential
- In 2024, 62 cases of tick encephalitis were reported in France, which corresponds to a 60 % increase in the number of cases compared to 2023.
- “Fifty-five cases (88.7 %) declared in 2024 had acquired their infection in France.”
- The majority of people had been contaminated in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Grand-Est region.
Carpet of dead leaves, brush, high herbs … Ticks, which feed on the blood of their hosts by clinging to their skin, are present in these wooded and humid areas. By biting us, these insects, active from spring to fall, can transmit the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, but also the tick encephalitis virus. “More rarely, contamination can be done by consumption of raw milk or raw milk cheese mainly of goat or sheep”, Indicates Public Health France.
Tick encephalitis: 62 cases recorded in 2024
Although the occurrence of tick encephalitis is rare, it is not without health consequences. After an incubation of one to two weeks, the pathology manifests itself in fever, headache and muscles and joint pain. In 20 to 30 % of patients, symptoms due to involvement of the central (encephalitis, myelitis) or peripheral paresy or paralysis of a limb system) then appear. “The clinical signs of central involvement are prostration or agitation, tremors, behavioral disorders, vigilance or consciousness disorders, sometimes convulsions or coma. Death is rare with the European viral type <1 % of death, but the sequelae (mainly paralysis and behavioral disorders) can reach up to 40 % of cases."
Due to the increase in infections in Europe, cases of tick encephalitis were registered on the list of compulsory reports in 2021 in order to be able to follow the evolution of epidemics. According to the latest public health figures France, 62 cases were identified in France in 2024, which corresponds to a 60 % increase in the number of cases compared to 2023, and 77 % compared to 2022. “Fifty-five cases (88.7 %) declared in 2024 had acquired their infection in France. Sixteen cases (25.8 % vs 15.4 % in 2023) exercised a profession exposing them to the risk of contamination by the TBE virus.” In July and August, 16 and 17 cases were identified, or 53 % of the total of the year. The majority of cases had been contaminated in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Grand-Est region.
How to prevent tick bites?
In order to protect yourself from tick bites, it is advisable to:
- Bring a ticklet (or failing that a tweezer) during walks
- Wearing long clothes, covering the arms and legs, and light in color
- Put a hat covering your head and neck
- Put closed shoes and slide the pants in the socks
- Stay on marked paths and avoid brush, ferns and tall herbs
- Apply a suitable skin repellent against ticks
- Carefully inspect your body to detect the possible presence of ticks after a walk