An expert has warned that a dangerous tick-borne virus, which is new to the UK, could potentially become more widespread as summers get hotter, and may eventually require vaccines. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs are currently investigating the spread of tick-borne encephalitis (TBEV).
The virus was first detected in Norfolk in 2019 and has since been found in Hampshire, Dorset and Yorkshire, where the first human case was confirmed last year. The health authorities have recently warned that it may be present in other parts of the country due to the wider distribution of the tick species that carries it.
According to Professor Ian Jones, a Professor of Virology at the University of Reading, the spread of the virus is likely to continue, and it may become more prominent in tick species across the country, reports The Mirror. Forestry workers and countryside wardens, who work in fields with long grass, are considered to be at higher risk of exposure. The UK viruses are genetically similar to strains found in Europe and Scandinavia, suggesting that they may have arrived from the nearby continent in ticks attached to birds.
Professor Jones predicts that a vaccine, which is already in use in certain parts of Europe, may eventually be offered in the UK to those who are most exposed to the virus, such as forestry workers and holidaymakers visiting areas with infected ticks. He says that the vaccine is safe and does not require the invention of a new one, and it could be recommended but not enforced, similar to the rabies vaccine for bat handlers in the UK.
Professor Jones also suggests that climate change may be a factor in the arrival and spread of the virus in the UK, as ticks are more active in warmer weather and longer periods of warm weather provide more opportunities for ticks to spread the virus among ticks and occasional human infections. However, he does not believe that the virus poses a significant threat to the general population, as it is related to outdoor activities in forested areas and wildlife walking, rather than urban areas.
Prof Jones said: "It’s commonplace in Europe and its range has been expanding for the last 30 years so it’s not too much of a surprise that it’s jumped across the Channel and it’s now seems to be embedded in the UK."
Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis
The viral infectious disease involves the central nervous system.
It most often manifests as meningitis, encephalitis or meningoencephalitis.
Myelitis and spinal paralysis also occurs. In about one third of cases sequelae, predominantly cognitive dysfunction, persist for a year or more.
Most people infected with tick-borne encephalitis do not feel ill.
However, when symptoms occur, they may include:
- fever
- aches
- loss of appetite
- headache
- nausea
- vomiting
- Some people develop swelling of the brain and/or spinal cord, confusion, and sensory disturbances
