Tick Borne Encephalitis

I have just returned from the 15th Conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine (my 11th one)  in Barcelona.  A topic we don't think about that was discussed there is Tick Borne Encephalitis. It is a risk in rural parts of Europe and Asia during summer months. The number of cases of it  and the areas with it  have increased since the 1990s perhaps because of climate change and changing behaviour. It is spread mainly by tick bites but also by eating unpasteurised dairy products especially those made from goat milk.  Prevention includes using repellent, wearing permethirn impregnated clothing and checking your body for ticks after being in forested areas.  In countries such as Austria 80% of the population is vaccinated against it. If you are going to spend a lot of time in the outdoors in summer months in countries with it you may consider getting vaccinated in Europe on arrival as the vaccine is now hard to get here. You need 2 vaccinations at least 14 days apart.