Should I worry about Lyme disease and ticks in Switzerland?
A traveler named DebH is planning a trip to Switzerland and is concerned about ticks and Lyme disease, which she hasn’t encountered in previous winter visits. She heard repellent might not be available in Wengen and wants to confirm if she needs to buy it before her trip. It’s important for her to prepare without overreacting.
- Pack anti-tick repellent before arriving in Switzerland, as it may not be available in smaller towns like Wengen.
- When hiking or strolling in areas such as parks, wear long clothing and check for ticks after your activities.
- Even in urban areas, ticks can be present, so stay cautious without fearing to avoid outdoor activities.
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Hi everyone.
As well as this forum, I also follow a Facebook page about travelling to Switzerland. Yesterday it was mentioned about the risks of ticks and something called Lyme Disease, that coming from Australia I have never heard of.
It stated that we needed to make sure that we took repellent and that it wasn’t available to buy in Wengen so we needed to make sure we purchased it before arrival.
Is this actually true as I have never heard it mentioned anywhere else, or on our other trips to Switzerland, that admittedly were in the winter.
We do have ticks here but I’ve never heard of them being a problem for people, we just medicate our pets just in case.
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Hi DebH,
Some tick bites can lead to Lyme disease. Ticks are usually common in or near the forests. If you’re hiking in the forests, you can protect yourself from tick bites by covering up i.e. wear hats, long trousers, long sleeve shirts. You can purchase anti-tick sprays in most supermarkets and pharmacies. The brand is called “AntiBrumm”.
Scroll to “Clothes and gear for mountain hiking” in the attached link for additional information: https://www.myswissalps.com/planning/practical/clothing/
As a precaution, if you have been out hiking, you can also check yourself and your family for ticks when you return back to your accommodation.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thanks for your reply Yolanda. We don’t really plan any major hiking, just some general strolling around towns and villages, and possibly the Panorama walk from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. Would those things be an issue?
We certainly won’t be wandering around forests or anywhere where there aren’t a lot of people.
Hi DebH,
No worries, there’s no need to avoid any areas. Just take Yolanda’s tips into account to be sure. Ticks can be anywhere including parks and gardens, so there’s no getting around them. But, it’s not something that stops people from going out and about.
Thanks everyone, I have saved Yolanda’s link for deep reading before our trip.
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