Tick-borne disease cases rise in Estonia, health agency says

Cases of tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease are trending upward in Estonia, ERR reported, as the country enters the peak season for infections. More than 1,200 people have contracted Lyme disease and more than 50 have contracted encephalitis this year.

Musician Ruslan Trochinskyi said he found a tick on himself while making a sauna whisk in late June. He initially developed Lyme disease, with a headache, joint pain and a mild fever.

After a two-week course of antibiotics, his condition worsened. His fever rose to 39 degrees Celsius, and a family doctor told him to go immediately to the emergency department. Doctors there diagnosed him with encephalitis and meningitis.

Trochinskyi said he responded quickly to treatment and that the encephalitis did not spread into his brain. He is still recovering from the illnesses more than a month later.

Julia Geller, head of the Health Board’s infectious diseases department, said the long-term trend in infections was rising. However, case numbers from January through the end of June were generally similar to those recorded during the same period in the previous two years.

Geller said a comparison covering only two years did not provide a complete picture because factors such as people’s movements and weather conditions varied. She said Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Vormi saar were areas with many ticks, as was the western coast, where migratory bird routes may bring ticks and pathogens.

Although a red ring around the bite is widely associated with Lyme disease, it does not appear in about one-third of infected people. Family doctor Reet Laidoja said untreated infections can cause symptoms months or even a year later. Most patients recover, although fatigue and weakness can sometimes persist after the infection before gradually subsiding.