What is RSSE?
What is RSSE?
Russian Spring Summer Encephalitis (RSSE) is the Russian variant of the European tick-borne encephalitis FSME. The disease can be contracted by a bite from an infected tick or by drinking unpasteurized milk. The disease can cause severe brain inflammation, which can sometimes even cause death. The Russian variant RSSE has a much higher chance of death than the European variant FSME.
Where can you get RSSE?
You can become infected with RSSE if you are bitten by a tick in the Eastern/Asian part of Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China or Japan. Ticks are most active in the summer and autumn, so the chance of infection is greatest then.
Symptoms of RSSE
RSSE, like FSME, can sometimes go unnoticed. Some people do not experience any symptoms, but in other patients the symptoms can even have fatal consequences. RSSE usually starts with flu and fever and can later develop into a serious encephalitis. In this encephalitis, twenty percent of patients die. In FSME this is only one percent.
Treating RSSE
There is a vaccination that protects against FSME and RSSE. The vaccination is recommended for holidays between March and November in natural areas where the diseases occur. RSSE cannot be treated and that is why it is important to take preventive measures, such as vaccination or wearing protective clothing.