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Investigations into why the virus has been found in ticks more frequently in recent years are under way, and there are likely to be a number of factors. “Physicians should consider the possibility of tick-borne encephalitis virus when patients present with unexplained encephalitis and a history of tick exposure, even if they have not travelled outside the UK, as the clinicians did in these cases.” “This study confirms the tick-borne encephalitis virus is present in parts of the UK where there are relevant tick and wildlife populations and may occasionally cause disease in humans,” Callaby said. The diagnosis was first considered by doctors treating the patients and was confirmed by testing at the UKHSA laboratory. The research is being presented this week at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen, Denmark. Research led by Callaby and her colleagues at the Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory in Porton Down confirmed that TBEV was now present in the UK. “Although the risk to the general public is very low, it is important for people to take precautions to protect themselves from tick bites, such as covering their ankles and legs, applying insect repellent and checking clothes and your body for ticks, particularly when visiting areas with long grass such as woods, moorlands and parks,” said Dr Helen Callaby, of the UK Health Security Agency. There have been three cases of probable or confirmed TBEV acquired in England since 2019, according to officials, including the Yorkshire case in 2022, which was the first confirmed case in the UK. Officials stressed that the risk to the public was very low, however. Anyone can be affected, but very young and very old people are most at risk. It can be life-threatening and requires urgent treatment in hospital. It causes a range of disease, from completely asymptomatic infection or mild flu-like illness to severe infection in the central nervous system such as meningitis or encephalitis.Įncephalitis is an uncommon but serious condition in which the brain becomes swollen. TBEV is a virus carried by ticks and is common in many parts of the world, including in Europe.
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