Unique that children died despite TBE vaccine – Sydsvenskan

– All vaccines work better or worse. Thomas Bergstrom says that five percent of everyone who gets TBE gets vaccinated.

Meanwhile, at least one in four people have taken the vaccine, according to a 2019 study.

Bergstrom also says there are two reasons why vaccines don't work: vaccine failure, where the vaccine doesn't produce antibodies, and vaccine penetration.

– So you have antibodies from the vaccine and you still get TBE.

As Charlotta Bergquist, vaccine coordinator at the Swedish Medicines Agency, noted, no vaccine provides 100 percent protection.

– There can be cases even though you're vaccinated. That's a huge reduction in risk, she says.

She can't comment on the specific case, but says there are factors that make the vaccine less protective.

– Aging poses a risk that the vaccine will work less well. Your immune system gets worse as you get older. If you have a disease or other condition that weakens your immune system, the vaccine will work less well. But Bergquist says that's usually better than not getting vaccinated.

She also notes that it is important to follow the vaccination schedule and keep track of how long it has been since you had your last dose.

However, there are no reliable statistics on how many vaccinated people become seriously ill or die from TBE.

“The problem is that it is not part of the national vaccination programme,” says Bergquist. “Then we also don’t get information about how it works in the country.”