# Tick Borne Encephalitis - Humans



## Jede (Dec 7, 2007)

I was very surprised when we visited our local doctors travel clinic to be advised that because we will be walking in forrested areas in central Europe on our big trip it is highly reccomended to have this set of jabs.
We have just had our first jabs, one more lot to go before June.

Has anyone else ever come across this ? 

P.s They are REALLY expensive 8O


----------



## 94055 (May 1, 2005)

Loads of info if you do a search

for one see

http://www.travelhealth.co.uk/diseases/tick_encephalitis.htm


----------



## Seeker (Dec 26, 2005)

We considered TBE jabs before we went to Scandinavia last summer but in the end was advised it wasn't that high a risk.

But, I did acquire a tick on my thigh one night in Ireland the previous summer!

And if you do get it the consequences can be devestating. So I think you're are probably wise to do so, as is anybody else going into wooded areas.

Harry


----------



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Ticks*

Hi

I had loads of vaccinations in late 2006 before I tripped off to Italy - I am sure that the human tick was one of them. I did not pay anything.

I have the medical card somewhere, so will try to find it and see exactly what I had!

R


----------



## Jede (Dec 7, 2007)

We've already paid for the whole course, three jabs, first two three weeks apart, last one between six months and a year after the second. As for price 8O £170 for each of us for all three jabs !!

But as has been said, the potential harm could devastating,so worth the cost.

slighlty poorer John


----------



## rickwiggans (May 10, 2006)

Yes - we had the jabs. Read enough about it to realise that the risk of a problem is low, but the consequences serious. Interestingly, the first two jabs cost us, but the third didn't. Seems expensive, but taken as part of overall trip costs it doesn't amount to much

Rick


----------



## Jede (Dec 7, 2007)

I think what concerns me is that we have travelled before, Europe,America, Africa but have never been advised how serious this disease can be. After investigating it I believe it should be it should have much more prominence among campers & people who spend lots of time outside in the summer in Europe.


----------



## Jagman (Feb 16, 2008)

Agree with Jede, regular awareness-raising needed, and not just for mainland Europe, ticks have got onto all of us (2 parents and 2 kids) at various times over the years in Scotland. CC sites tend to have good information points which often have 'tick handout' which advises about what to do. Web search is good advice Sandj. Some tick borne infections take ages to show and can be confused with other less serious things - very worrying especially for children. Interesting that advice now is against using scent or cologne to remove tick rather to use tweezers. Cologne etc makes them vomit into you apparently - oops!


----------



## 108401 (Nov 22, 2007)

Interesting that the Travelhealth advice recommends to remove ticks by pulling straight with tweezers, and not twisting. Does anyone know what this is?

We bought a set of tick removers from the vet for our dog, and they work superbly. But they work by twisting, and the tick comes out cleanly. I assumed that was good. We've found that trying using tweezers tends to end up ripping the tick and leaving its head embedded. I assumed that was bad? Any thoughts?


----------



## 108401 (Nov 22, 2007)

For interest, I think Google answered my question: http://www.bada-uk.org/defence/removal/removaltool.php

Twisting with tweezer is bad; twisting with a tick removal tool is ok.


----------



## PAT4NEIL (Jul 21, 2007)

Hi
Last year we toured the Balkans, down as far as Montenegro on a motorbike, we walked in some open grass lands and wooded area on a day trip. We then went to Italy for 3 weeks in eurocamp caravans, a week before we came home my husband said his knee joints were hurting (mine were too I put it down to how much bike riding we had done, were were pretty tired) he had cold like system for one day.

The day after we returned to England, my husband had a terrible headache, (which I put down to man flu, as you do). As the day progressed he got worse and worse, with numbness and cramps in his legs. I called the doctors who could only give me an appt 6 hours later.
It got progressively worse, so I called the paramedics, who sent a one man band in and said it was a severe migraine (he has never had a migraine so wasnt sure, although I had, and felt this was more serious).
In the end I asked for a ambulance to take us to hospital. After 10 hours in hospital, where I might had the treatment was dreadful, they suspected menegitis. The next day he was moved to London Hospital Whitechapel, were the service was fantastic. They felt it was Tick borne Encephalitis, which can cause menegitis. He was in a bad way for a week, then came home on drip antiobiotics. Had 3 months of work, and has taken a while to get up to speed as such. The tropical disease dept were great and kept taking sample ( I think they used him as a case study). All along they felt it was TBE, but in the end with the final screening finished they just put it down to Aseptic menegitis.
Apparently it is quite common and Montenegro was probably the place most likely.

I didn't realise they're was an injection available.

But out of interested there was a girl last year in our small town who had TBE menegitis, a few weeks later and she had not been travelling.

If my husband had been taken ill abroad I would not have been able to ride the motorbike anywhere. That is why we have purchased a motorhome, because it needed I would be able to drive it and I would have somewhere to stay.

Thought I share that with you
Pat


----------



## Jede (Dec 7, 2007)

A truly awful experience for you Pat, hope he's ok now. My wife and I have had motorbiking holidays in forrested areas in Europe and have never heard of this jab before now. The travel clinic nurse was really helpful.
She said that the ticks in uk do not carry the virus so it is not widely advertised.

But then again, we don't have blue tongue,rabies or foot & mouth in this country either


----------



## davesport (Nov 12, 2006)

My awareness of this issue has been raised in the last week as I picked up several ticks in Ft William whilst on holiday up there & ended up visiting the local hospital at the behest of NHS24 to have the bites looked at & to get some antibiotics taken purely as a precaution.

I wore shorts on the last day & walked through some gorse & heather where they attached themselves.

The risk is not only from TBE but also Lyme disease which has more serious, long term & potentially life threatning concequences.

There are limited safe options for removing attached ticks. One of them here. Anything that smothers or the tick finds unpleasant can cause it to regurgitate its abdominal contents into your skin. So dont cover them in vaseline/nail varnish remover or burn them with matches or cigarettes. These are old wives remedies & should be avoided. Further to this dont grasp the ticks body with blunt tweezers IE eyebrow tweezers.

Sites that have been biten should be monitored for several days. If a bullseye type rash which is radiating away from the bite forms you should seek medical attention.

Lyme awareness is limited. There's no cure. The only course of action is avoidance.

Dave.


----------



## gromett (May 9, 2005)

Bumping this because of this alert here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8077956.stm

Scottish highlands...

Karl


----------



## gromett (May 9, 2005)

davesport said:


> Lyme awareness is limited. There's no cure. The only course of action is avoidance.


If you are talking about Lyme Disease it can be cured with a course of Antibiotics. this should be done early to avoid permanent damage to the heart etc.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease and my previous link to the BBC website.

Karl


----------



## Wupert (Aug 6, 2007)

mrtrilby said:


> Interesting that the Travelhealth advice recommends to remove ticks by pulling straight with tweezers, and not twisting. Does anyone know what this is?
> 
> We bought a set of tick removers from the vet for our dog, and they work superbly. But they work by twisting, and the tick comes out cleanly. I assumed that was good. We've found that trying using tweezers tends to end up ripping the tick and leaving its head embedded. I assumed that was bad? Any thoughts?


.
A long dab of vodka soaked cotton wool does the trick.(Honest)

The drunk ticks are also easy to catch if they try to run away

I suppose any other spirit would have similar results



Wups


----------



## sallytrafic (Jan 17, 2006)

Had a long chat about ticks with the vet yesterday apparently they are seeing much more exotic tick borne diseases in animals and some of them are catchable by humans. They reckon the New Forest is likely to become as much of a tick hazard area for humans and pets as the med and some of our northern moorland.

I see the effect of a young woman who has Lyme disease quite often dehabilitating (paralysis up to her neck) and life shortening.


----------



## tombo5609 (Dec 29, 2007)

This post has brought back recent painful memorys as I have just seen my young sister in law pass away from what was diagnosed as Encephalitis.

She was an extremely active woman and had just been on two 12 mile hikes with the National trust and on the last day complained of headaches towards the end of the walk.

She lived on her own and had made arrangement to go for a meal with a friend on the Sunday but when her friend called to make arrangements she was talking nonsense. Realising something was wrong she called the doctor who advised her to go with her to the hospital where she was admitted and unfortunately fell into a coma the next day.

Unfortuanately she never recovered and passed away about a month ago.

Until I read these posts I did not realise how prevalent it was.


----------

