TBE in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Wilhelm Erber and Tamara Vuković-Janković
ECDC risk status: affected
(last edited: date 25.06.2024, data as of end 2022)
History and current situation
Very limited information is available for Bosnia showing the occurrence of TBE.7
Even though there have been some elder case reports in the northern parts of the country, including alimentary infections, details have not been published.3
In early 1996, United States military forces were deployed to Bosnia as part of Operation Joint Endeavor. Only 4 (0.42%) unvaccinated individuals, all males, demonstrated a 4-fold seroconversion. All 4 seemingly were infected with TBE virus (or a closely-related variant) during their 6–9 month deployment period in Bosnia, but did not report with symptoms to any health care provider.2,4,5
The only official TBE case report data so far are from the Centralized Information System for Infectious Diseases ((CISID) – WHO: incidence of tick-borne encephalitis) where 1 case was reported in 2001, and 2 cases were reported in in 2010, and additionally 5 cases of alimentary outbreak were reported in 2014 by the Institute of Public Health in Serbia (Institute of Public Health FBIH https://www.zzjzfbih.ba/biblioteka/ [Accessed October 2016].
However, the proven record about the spread of the TBE virus in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the isolation of five strains of the TBEV-Sib genotype 3 in Ixodes ricinus.1,2 Siberian TBEV strains from Bosnia, the Crimean Peninsula, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are clustered into a newly described Bosnia lineage.3
Overview of TBE in Bosnia and Herzegovina
| Table 1: Virus, vector, transmission of TBE in Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
|---|---|
| Viral subtypes, distribution | TBEV-SIB1,2, TBEV-EU? |
| Reservoir animals | There is a lack of data on TBEV-seroprevalence among wild animals8 |
| Infected tick species (%) | I. ricinus1,2 |
| Dairy product transmission | Has been reported4 |
Click the image above to enlarge
| Year | Number of Cases |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2002 | |
| 2003 | |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | |
| 2006 | |
| 2007 | |
| 2008 | |
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2011 | |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 | |
| 2014 | 5 |
| 2015 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 |
Contact
Wilhelm Erber
Wilhelm.erber@gmail.com
Authors
Wilhelm Erber and Tamara Vuković-Janković
Citation
Erber W, Vuković-Janković T. TBE in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Chapter 13. In: Dobler G, Erber W, Bröker M, Chitimia-Dobler L, Schmitt HJ, eds. The TBE Book. 7th ed. Singapore: Global Health Press; 2024. doi:10.33442/26613980_13-4-7
References
- Demina TV, Dzhioev YP, Verkhozina MM, et al. Genotyping and characterization of the geographical distribution of tick-borne encephalitis virus variants with a set of molecular probes. J Med Virol. 2010;82(6):965-976.
- Tkachev S, et.al. Genetic diversity and geographical distribution of the Siberian subtype of the tick-borne encephalitis virus. Medical Biodefense Conference 2018; Munich.
- Tkachev SE, Babkin IV, Chicherina GS, et al. Genetic diversity and geographical distribution of the Siberian subtype of the tick-borne encephalitis virus. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2019;11(2):101327.
- Suess J. Epidemiology and ecology of TBE relevant to the production of effective vaccines. Vaccine. 2003;21 Suppl 1:S19-35.
- Craig SC, Pittman PR, Lewis TE, et al. An accelerated schedule for tick-borne encephalitis vaccine: the American Military experience in Bosnia. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1999;61(6):874-878.
- Sanchez JL Jr, Craig SC, Kohlhase K, Polyak C, Ludwig SL, Rumm PD. Health assessment of U.S. military personnel deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina for operation joint endeavor. Mil Med. 2001;166(6):470-4.
- Amicizia D, Domnich A, Panatto D, et al. Epidemiology of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Europe and its prevention by available vaccines. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2013;9(5):1163-71.
- Hukić M, et al. Surveillance of wildlife zoonotic diseases in the Balkans Region. Med Glas Ljek komore Zenicko-doboj kantona. 2010;7(2):96-105.