Reliable surveillance of tick-borne encephalitis in European countries is necessary to improve the quality of vaccine recommendationsArchived

Stefanoff P, Polkowska A, Giambi C, Levy-Bruhl D, O’Flanagan D, Demattè L, Lopalco PL, Mereckiene J, Johansen K, D’Ancona F, the VENICE project gatekeepers, contact persons group. Vaccine 2011; 29: 1283–1288.

Information on TBE surveillance, methods used to ascertain endemic areas, vaccination recommendations, vaccine coverage and methods of monitoring of vaccine coverage were obtained. Sixteen countries (57%) reported presence of TBE endemic areas on their territory. Vaccination against TBE was recommended for the general population in 8 (28%) countries, for occupational risk groups in 13 (46%) countries, and for tourists going abroad in 22 (78%) countries. Although vaccination recommendations for country residents and for tourists always referred to endemic areas, there was no uniform standardized method used to define endemic areas. For this reason, clear recommendations for tourists need to be developed, and standardized surveillance directed to efficient assessment of TBE risk need to be implemented in European countries.The article is available upon subscription.The detailed survey report is available at the VENICE website: http://venice.cineca.org/final_report_TBE_19-01-2011.pdf