Tick-borne encephalitis in children and adolescents in the Czech Republic between 1960 and 2007

Background: The Czech Republic ranks among the countries with the highest prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis worldwide. The region of West Bohemia has the second highest morbidity within the Czech Republic. Methods: Between 1960 and 2007, laboratories confirmed 410 cases of tick-borne encephalitis in children and adolescents of West Bohemia. Available epidemiological data were analyzed. Results: The highest incidence (per 100 000 population) was found in the group of 15-19 years for both genders (males: 6.2; females: 4.3). Data on the consumption of non-pasteurized milk were found in 5.4% of patients. The preschool age group showed its highest incidence in June and September, and the risk of infection for older children was in July and August. Conclusions: The current low coverage of vaccination leads to an insignificant improvement to the overall frequency of this disease. World J Pediatr 2012;8(4):363-366