A tick-borne virus, tick-borne encephalitis (TBEV) is spreading to western Europe. With three cases since 2019, the British Health Security Agency gave the alert in early April.
The British Health Security Agency (UKHSA) sounded the alarm at the beginning of April. In a “risk assessment”, she says – after three cases have been detected across the Channel since 2019 – that “tick-borne encephalitis is now likely to be present in England”.
Various diseases
In France, according to Anses, tick-borne encephalitis is present in regions such as Alsace, Lorraine, Savoie and even Haute-Savoie. About 20 cases are reported each year. In the spring of 2020, 43 people living in Ain have suffered from meningitis, meningoencephalitis or flu-like symptoms caused by contamination by this virus.
And if, in its “assessment”, the British agency considers that this virus presents a low risk for the general public, it recalls however that it can sometimes cause a serious infection of the nervous system “such as meningitis or encephalitis “. In fact, it can cause various diseases ranging from simple asymptomatic infection to more serious infections. In 0.5 to 3% of the cases identified, TBEV can cause death and sequelae such as paralysis also affect 10 to 20% of patients.
A vaccine exists
Transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected tick, this virus is expressed through various symptoms: high fever, headaches, drowsiness, delirium, loss of balance,… “After an incubation of a at two weeks, the disease begins suddenly like a flu, with fever, headaches and chills”, explains more precisely the site Vaccination info service. Recovery from the disease is long, with neurological or psychiatric sequelae that may persist after recovery.
A vaccine exists against this virus and is recommended “for people residing in areas where the disease is rife and for exposed adult travelers and children. It reduces the individual risk of contracting the disease”, indicates the dedicated government site.