Santonja, I., Stiasny, K.
FSME 2021 [TBE 2021]
Vir. Ep. Inf. 2022, no. 2/22-3
(virologie.meduniwien.ac.at)
In 2021, a total of 128 TBE patients have been hospitalized in Austria. This number was significantly lower compared to 2020 (n=216). This trend could also be observed in Germany (2021: 390 cases, 2020: 712 cases) and in Switzerland (2021: 286 cases, 2020: 454 cases).
Most infections occurred from March to December (with a peak from June to August) in Upper Austria (n=48), followed by Tyrol (n=25) and Salzburg (n=19). A new natural TBE focus has been identified in Vorarlberg.
The youngest patient was 3 years old, the oldest patient 92.
68 patients had a mild illness (fever or meningitis), while 54 patients had a severe infection (meningoencephalitis, meningomyelitis, meningoradiculitis). Most patients with severe symptoms were older than 50 years of age (n=37, 68.5%). One patient (older than 80 years) had a coinfection with SARS-CoV-2 and died.