Incidence of tick-borne encephalitis in unvaccinated populations across Europe (2020-2023)

Abstract

Background

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a vaccine-preventable disease. While many European countries conduct TBE surveillance, resulting incidence estimates do not distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. To understand TBE risk to unvaccinated individuals, we assessed incidence among unvaccinated populations in Europe.

Methods

TBE incidence was calculated as cases per 100,000 population per year (PPY) using publicly available surveillance data for 34 countries (2020-2023). Unvaccinated incidence was calculated for 21 countries using TBE vaccine uptake data from population surveys, and assuming 95.1% of TBE cases were unvaccinated. The number of cases averted by vaccination in 2023 was also estimated.

Results

The surveillance-reported TBE incidence (2020-2023) was ≥5 per 100,000 PPY for Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czechia, and Slovenia. When the unvaccinated incidence is calculated, Sweden and Austria also had an incidence ≥5 per 100,000 PPY. In 2023, 2498 TBE cases were estimated to have been averted in 21 countries by vaccination.

Conclusion

The incidence of TBE remains a significant public health concern, with >35 million people living in highly endemic areas of Europe. TBE incidence in the unvaccinated population is substantially higher than the incidence of surveillance-reported TBE cases. Enhanced efforts are needed to increase the uptake of preventive measures, including vaccination.