Overview
- Health agencies in Hesse and Lower Saxony say ticks are active earlier after a mild winter and ask residents to check skin and pets after time in parks, gardens, and fields.
- NABU launched a citizen reporting drive to log tick finds and species, with extra attention on so‑called colorful ticks such as the pasture tick and the sheep tick.
- Clinicians warn about Lyme disease, which is bacterial and treatable if caught early, and they flag an expanding ring‑shaped rash as a key sign to seek care.
- Northeim reports recurring Lyme cases but no FSME infections so far, while the Robert Koch Institute lists nearby Fulda as a tick‑borne encephalitis risk area.
- Pharmacists recommend long sleeves, light clothing, repellents with DEET or icaridin, and fast removal with a tick card or tool, and officials advise FSME vaccination for people in or traveling to risk zones.