Despite favorable tick weather – only a suspected case of TBE in Skåne

If the weather is dry, the tick hides in the ground. If it’s rainy or humid outside, they crawl out.

The number of ticks you get depends on most of the weather when you are out in nature. If it’s rainy or humid, you’ll get more ticks than if it’s dry, says Diedrick Vanhoenker, a duty biologist at the Swedish Museum of Natural History.

Even when you’re navigating in nature, chance plays a role if you’re attracting ticks or not.

Check your skin suit after going outside. If you have a tick, it is important to remove it early to reduce the risk of developing Lyme disease. To protect yourself from tuberculosis, the tick-borne encephalitis, it’s important to dress appropriately and get vaccinated if you live in high-risk areas, says Matthias Waldeck, an assistant infection control physician in Skåne.

No tick statistics

There is no official inventory of the tick population in the country or its regions. On the other hand, the Swedish Public Health Agency aggregates all reported cases of tuberculosis per month for each region.

According to the Swedish Public Health Agency’s latest statistics, no cases of TBE were recorded in Skåne during the month of May. However, a suspected case of TBE is being investigated.

We don’t see increased pressure when it comes to cases of TBE reported in Skåne this year. It seems to usually happen at this time. But it’s arguably hot and rainy by turns and ticks like rain and heat, says Matthias Waldeck, an assistant infection control physician in Skåne.

Jessica Hägg from Fjälkinge fell ill with TBE after being bitten by her three years ago: