Borreliosis in Saarland: pathogens on the rise!

In Saarland, the numbers of borreliosis diseases increase. 234 cases were reported by the beginning of December 2024, which is more than in the three previous years. In 2023 there were 158 reported cases and in 2020 there were 332. Most diseases this year performed in the district of Saarlouis. The Saarland Ministry of Health draws attention to the fact that due to a lack of a nationwide reporting obligation, a high number of unreported cases is expected. Borreliosis is difficult to diagnose and sometimes shows atypical disease courses. The transmission is carried out by tick bites, which are harmless to humans themselves, but can transmit various pathogens, including the bacterium Borrelia Burgdorferi.

The symptoms of Lyme disease are diverse and often affect skin, nervous system, joints and heart. In Germany it is possible that up to a third of the ticks are infected with borrelia, the risk of infection drops when the tick is removed early. A clear sign of borreliosis can be a ring-shaped reddening of the skin around the puncture site that occurs between three and 30 days after the sting, such as Tagesschau reported.

Frequency and treatment of the disease

Lyme Borreliosis, which is widespread throughout Germany, leads to several tens of thousands of illnesses per year, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). In about 90 % of the infections, the so -called hiking blush occurs, a safe sign of borreliosis. A diagnosis is often difficult, since the antibody detection via blood tests only shows previous contact, but does not show any current infection. Treatment is usually carried out with antibiotics. There is currently no vaccine for Lyme disease, but such a one is developed, such as ndr . This vaccine, which is developed by Valneva and Pfizer, is supposed to work against the six most common Borreliosis types and has shown positive results in clinical studies.

In addition, in rare cases, complications such as lyme carditis can also occur, which is observed in 4 to 10 % of cases after a tick bite and can lead to inflammation of the heart muscle. Symptoms of lyme carditis contain shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain and dizziness. The diagnosis is carried out by various procedures, including antibody tests and long-term.