The number of cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Lithuania has reached the highest level in Europe, the latest figures from the Centre for Communicable Diseases and AIDS shows.
Based on the figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), published in July, the number of cases in 2017 stood at 16.6 per population of 100,000.
The Czech Republic and Estonia follow with 6.4 cases per population of 100,000.
The report states that more cases are recorded among people aged 45-64, and the smallest number of cases is among children under 4 years of age.
The majority of TBE patients had not been vaccinated.
Read more: Tick-borne diseases in Lithuania leave life-scarring injuries
TBE is a human viral infectious disease involving the central nervous system, according European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The virus is transmitted by the bite of infected ticks, found in woodland habitats. There is no cure against the disease, and the only treatment is to mitigate the lifelong neurological symtoms that affect some patients.
