Russian Spring Summer Encephalitis (RSSE) is the Russian variant of European tick-borne encephalitis FSME. You can contract the disease from a bite by an infected tick or by drinking unpasteurized milk. The disease can cause a severe brain inflammation, which can sometimes even be fatal for patients. With the Russian variant RSSE, the risk of fatality is much higher than with the European variant FSME.

Where can you contract 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 during the summer and fall, so the risk of infection is greatest during these seasons.

Symptoms of RSSE

Just like FSME, RSSE can sometimes go unnoticed. Some people experience no symptoms, but for other patients, the symptoms can have fatal consequences. RSSE usually starts with flu and fever and may later develop into a severe brain inflammation. Twenty percent of patients with this brain inflammation die. For FSME, this is only one percent.

Treating RSSE

There is a vaccination that protects against both FSME and RSSE. The vaccination is recommended for holidays between March and November in nature-rich areas where the diseases occur. RSSE is not treatable, so it is important to take preventive measures, such as getting vaccinated or wearing protective clothing.

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What is RSSE?

Where can you contract RSSE?

Symptoms of RSSE

Treating RSSE