This year has seen the highest number of cases of Lyme disease in the Czech Republic since records began in 1986, according to data from the National Institute of Public Health (SZU). Doctors in the Czech Republic recorded almost 8,000 cases of the disease from January to the end of September, as well as 585 cases of tick-borne encephalitis.
Doctors anticipate that these numbers could rise by one third during the autumn. Often brought in from the forest by mushroom pickers, the ticks remain active until temperatures drop below five degrees Celsius. If left untreated, Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, can lead to permanent consequences, and tick-borne encephalitis can also cause major health problems.
In the past, doctors have linked the increase in borreliosis cases to better diagnosis. “With improving diagnostics, more cases have been reported, with the highest number of 6,302 cases in 1995,” said the SZU report on the disease.
After 2000, the number of cases was usually between 3,000 and 5,000.
Unlike Lyme borreliosis, which can be treated by antibiotics, there is no specific treatment for tick-borne encephalitis, though a vaccine is available. Scientists are working on a vaccine for borreliosis.
According to a survey conducted last year in the Czech Republic, about 39% of people aged 65 and over were vaccinated, 37% of those aged 55 to 64, and 46% of those aged 35 to 54. The most vaccinated children were aged between four and six years (57.6%), while 35% of younger children were vaccinated and 44.5% of children between 7 and 10. Vaccination is covered by public health insurance for people over 50, while others can have part of the cost reimbursed.
Last year, two-thirds of the German population and four-fifths of the Austrian population was vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis. There is also more interest in other countries where people often spend their free time in nature, such as Sweden and the Baltic states.
Number of cases of tick-borne diseases, 2015-2025:
| ‘15 | ‘16 | ‘17 | ‘18 | ‘19 | ‘20 | ‘21 | ‘22 | ‘23 | ‘24 | ‘25* | |
| Tick-borne encephalitis | 355 | 565 | 687 | 715 | 774 | 856 | 594 | 710 | 509 | 670 | 585 |
| Lyme disease | 2913 | 4694 | 3939 | 4724 | 4105 | 3710 | 2831 | 3517 | 3270 | 4031 | 7994 |
* first nine months of the year only
