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. 2023 Nov 2;8(11):491. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed8110491

Table A7.

Summary of the meaning of the present article.

What did you want do address in this study?
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a human viral infectious disease transmitted by the bite of infected ticks and affecting the central nervous system. Climate changes and increased human interactions in at-risk areas (mostly woodlands in Central Europe and alpine ranges), including the Dolomite Mountains, have stressed the importance of vaccination campaigns as a reliable instrument for achieving TBE control in countries in the European Union/European Economic Areas. We wanted to investigate the TBE vaccination rates and individual preventive measures for tick bites among tourists to the Dolomite Mountains and ascertain which individual factors were associated with TBE vaccination uptake.
What have we learned from this study?
Vaccination rates in the tourist population were low (<30% for the sample as a whole), even in individuals from Italian regions considered at high risk for TBE (i.e., the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano and the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, <40%). Participants exhibited an unsatisfactory level of knowledge of TBE and tick-borne disorders, which was associated with a similarly inappropriate risk perception about its occurrence. The main effectors of vaccination status were identified as age, living in high-risk areas, having previously been bitten by a tick, knowledge status, and risk perception, which, in turn, was well-correlated with knowledge status.
What are the implications of your findings for public health?
Information campaigns aimed at improving disease awareness among tourists traveling to high-risk areas can improve their risk perception regarding TBE and more in general regarding tick-borne diseases. By improving vaccination status in individuals potentially at high risk of contracting TBE and other tick-borne diseases, properly designed interventions, including appropriate pre-travel counseling, could contribute to the better control of TBE in northeastern Italy.