1. The role of GP in prevention of
tick-borne meningoencephalitis
Professor Janko Kersnik, PhD, MSc, MD
FM Department
Medical School Ljubljana and Maribor
Primož Kušar, MSc, MD
Primary Health Care Centre Ljubljana

2. Aims of the presentation
 The importance of primary care approach in
primary prevention
 The role of family doctors
 Good practice

3. Burden of the disease
 Tick borne disease
 Endemic - The endemic
area spreads
 In Slovenia 153-532 new
cases per year - yearly
incidence 13/100,000, 3rd
place in Europe
 There isn’t any specific
treatment – effective
immunisation

4. Burden of the disease
 The disease is lethal in
approximately 1.2% of
cases and
 leaves 15-20% of its
survivors with
permanent neurological
damage
 10,000 patients in
Europe need hospital
treatment.

5. Slovenian case
 Immunisation rate in Slovenia is 10%
 Immunisation rate in children is even lover -
4%
 But the government claims quality care
provided by paediatricians and by public
health institutes
 What goes wrong?

6. Good practice from Austria
 Before 1981 prevalence same in Austria and
Slovenia
 In 1981 new campaign
 Immunisation rate raised from 6% in 1981 to
86-90% in 2001

7. What made a success story?
PATIENTS
MEDIA
GPs
HELATH POLICY

8. The role of a GP?
PRTEVENTION TREATMENT
 Immunisation advice  First contact with
 Patient motivation the patients
 Offering  Difficult diagnosis
immunisation  Follow up
 Keeping records on
immunisations

9. What do we have to know
about vaccination?
 Basic vaccination with three shuts
 Can be done simultaneously – different place
 First two shuts preferably during winter
months
 Serologically proven patients are immune to
next course of the disease

10. Conclusions