Experts at UKHSA say that the risk to the general public remains low, but are encouraging people to check themselves for ticks<\/a> after going outdoors.<\/p>\n \u201cOur surveillance suggests that tick-borne encephalitis virus is very uncommon in the UK and that the risk to the general population is very low,\u201d says Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at UKHSA.<\/p>\n \u201cTicks also carry various other infections, including Lyme disease, so take steps to reduce your chances of being bitten when outdoors in areas where ticks thrive, such as moorlands and woodlands, and remember to check for ticks and remove them promptly.\u201d<\/p>\n You may also be interested in:<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Although common in many parts of the world, this is the first time that a TBEV case has been confirmed in England.<\/p>\n Since 2019, there have been three cases of probably or confirmed TBEV cases where the infection has occurred in England, and another confirmed case where the infection was confirmed in England but is thought to have been acquired in Scotland.<\/p>\n The only confirmed case for England is thought to have occurred from exposure while mountain biking on the North Yorkshire Moors.<\/p>\n \u201cOur tick surveillance tells us TBEV is present in England and we know there have been cases who acquired their infection in this country,\u201d says Clare Gordon, Consultant in Infections at the Rare and Imported Pathogens Lab at UKHSA.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are now actively testing patients with encephalitis for TBEV to see if it could be the cause, even if they haven\u2019t travelled outside the UK, and we are also enhancing our surveillance programme by testing blood samples in people in the areas where TBEV has been found in ticks, to see if there is evidence of any previous infection.\u201d<\/p>\n TBEV-infected ticks have been identified in four locations in the UK since 2019: Thetford Forest, the Hampshire and Dorset border, the New Forest and the North Yorkshire Moors.<\/p>\n Tick-borne encephalitis can range from being completely asymptomatic through to a severe infection of the central nervous system that causes symptoms similar to those of meningitis: high fever with headache, neck stiffness, confusion or reduced consciousness. UKSHA says that urgent medical attention should be sought if meningitis-like symptoms are exhibited.<\/p>\n The 50-year-old man who was infected in Yorkshire initially presented symptoms of fatigue, muscle pain and fever, five days after being bitten by a tick. These symptoms faded, but a week later his fever returned with a headache and reduced co-ordination, and MRI scans suggested viral encephalitis. TBEV was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction testing.<\/p>\n \u201cA tick bite changed my life\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n In a 2017 episode of The Plodcast, England rugby world cup winner Matt Dawson talked to Countryfile editor Fergus Collins about contracting Lyme disease, the severe effect it had on his health, and why he is now a champion for The Big Tick Project.<\/p>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/02\/tick-on-human-skin-8d1d6b1.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C406"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>What are the symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis?<\/h3>\n
![\""Matt\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/09\/OLIVER_EDWARDS_CF_LIVE_THE_BIG_TICK_PROJECT_005-c389072.jpg?quality=45&resize=556,556"\" "\\"\"OLIVER_EDWARDS_CF_LIVE_THE_BIG_TICK_PROJECT_005\"\\"\/")
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