Risk assessment and prediction of Ixodes ricinus tick questing activity and human tick-borne encephalitis infection in space and time in the Czech Republic.

Present risk assessment and prediction of future risk of humans exposed to Ixodes (I.) ricinus tick attacks and, consequently, to tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus infection as one of the basic preconditions for successful TBE prevention has been intensively studied in the Czech Republic. An atlas of TBE in the Czech Republic containing predictive maps of I.

An attempt to elucidate the increased incidence of tick-borne encephalitis and its spread to higher altitudes in the Czech Republic.

In 1993 the incidence of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) showed a sharp rise in Central Europe and has remained high since--with some slight fluctuation. This increase is clearly evident in the Czech Republic and it could be roughly characterised as twofold in 1993-2001 in comparison with 1984-1992 (5,240:2,441 human cases). As yet in the Czech Republic the TBE increase has been manifested by: a) higher number of cases in areas well known for TBE occurrence in humans; b) re-emergence in areas where TBE human cases were not observed, or only sporadically, for a long time; c) emergence of TBE in places unknown previously (including highly elevated areas).