Hills et al.
Tick-borne encephalitis among US travellers, 2010-20
J. Travel Med., in press: doi:10.1093/jtm/taab167
TBE cases among US travelers are uncommon. During the 11-year period from 2010–2020, six TBE cases were reported among US civilian travelers. The patients had acquired their TBE virus infection in the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden and Austria during their stay in Europe or in Asia. None of these patients died; some had long-term sequelae.
No patient had received TBE vaccination, because no TBE vaccine has previously been licensed in the USA.
In August 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the TBE vaccine based on strain Neudörfl, European subtype, for use in individuals aged at least one year old. The US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) TBE Vaccine Work Group is preparing TBE vaccine recommendations for travelers and laboratory workers for consideration by the ACIP.
Slides presented by Katherine Poehling at the ACIP meeting on September 29, 2021 can be found on the home page.
It is planned to publish evidence-based ACIP recommendations in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).