What is tick-borne encephalitis?
Tick borne encephalitis is a viral infection that is transmitted by ticks. A tick can get onto your clothes or skin when you brush past plants, such as long grass, shrubs and bushes. The tick embeds its mouthparts into the skin, but may go unnoticed because anaesthetic in its saliva means the bite doesn’t hurt. If an infected tick bites, the encephalitis virus can pass into the bloodstream. Rarely, people also get tick borne encephalitis from eating or drinking infected, unpasteurised dairy products.
There are three different types of tick borne encephalitis virus found in various parts of the world. All three viruses can cause encephalitis, which is infection and swelling of the brain.
7-14 days after being bitten, two thirds of people infected with tick borne encephalitis will develop symptoms. Phase one symptoms are:
- Temperature over 38°C or 100.4°F
- Headache
- Muscle ache
- Nausea
A period of 1-20 days can follow where the person has no symptoms. Some people (approximately one third) then progress to a second phase where there is a sudden rise in temperature, brain and spinal cord problems. Symptoms can include meningitis, swelling of the brain and sometimes paralysis. People over 60 are most at risk of death.
http://www.masta-travel-health.com/disease/tickborneencephalitis
Tick-borne encephalitis, or TBE, is a human viral infectious disease involving the central nervous system. The disease is most often manifest as meningitis (inflammation of the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord), encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), or meningoencephalitis (inflammation of both the brain and meninges). Although TBE is most commonly recognized as a neurologic disease, mild febrile illnesses can also occur. Long-lasting or permanent neuropsychiatric sequelae are observed in 10-20% of infected patients. What causes tick-borne encephalitis? TBE is caused by tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a member of the family Flaviviridae, that was initially isolated in 1937. A closely related virus in Far Eastern Eurasia, Russian spring-summer encephalitis virus (RSSEV), is responsible for a similar disease with a more severe clinical course. How is TBEV spread, and how do humans become infected? Ticks act as both the vector and reservoir for TBEV. The main hos
