Burden of Tick-Borne Encephalitis, Sweden

Abstract

In recent decades, the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Sweden has increased. To calculate the burden of disease over a 17-year period, we analyzed data from the Swedish National Health Data Register for TBE cases diagnosed during 1998–2014. We compared healthcare use and sick leave associated with 2,429 persons with TBE with a referent cohort of 7,287 persons without TBE. Patients with TBE were hospitalized for significantly more days during the first year after disease onset (11.5 vs. 1.1 days), logged more specialist outpatient visits (3.6 vs. 1.2 visits), and logged more sick leave days (66 vs. 10.7 days). These differences generally increased over time. The case-fatality rate for TBE was 1.1%. Our calculated cost of TBE to society provides a baseline for decisions on immunization programs. Analyzing register data, our study adds to clinical studies of smaller cohorts and model-based studies that calculate disease burden.

Serum and cerebrospinal fluid brain damage markers neurofilament light and glial fibrillary acidic protein correlate with tick‐borne encephalitis disease severity—a multicentre study on Lithuanian and Swedish patients

“…The proportion of spinal and/or cranial nerve paresis was 23% compared with up to 15% in other studies. There was no mortality, in line with publications from Sweden and Lithuania reporting a case fatality rate of 0.75%-1.1% [2,24].…”

Schwer verlaufende Meningitis und Enzephalitis bei Kindern und Jugendlichen

“…Bei etwa einem Viertel der erkrankten Kinder kann es zu einer schweren Erkrankung kommen. Die Häufigkeit von neurologischen Langzeitfolgen scheint bisher unterschätzt zu werden [ 25 ].…”

First Expert Elicitation of Knowledge on Possible Drivers of Observed Increasing Human Cases of Tick-Borne Encephalitis in Europe

“…There is no specific antiviral treatment for TBE; the human TBE risk can be reduced by using tick repellents on skin and clothing, personal protective clothing, pasteurization of milk, and vaccination of individuals [ 16 ]. The list of the available inactivated vaccines was recently reviewed by Kubinski et al [ 24 ]. Increasing vaccination among all age groups can be the most effective and efficient strategy to reduce the burden of TBE on endemic areas and protect the health of the whole population [ 25 ].…”