A specialist has warned that when the weather warms, Brits risk contracting a brand-new sickness. As the summers get hotter, a severe tick-borne virus that is unique to the UK could spread faster. This may eventually result in the nation as a whole needing many immunizations.
The transmission of the tick-borne virus that causes encephalitis is currently being looked into by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (TBEV). Although still quite new, the virus was discovered for the first time in the UK in Norfolk in 2019, according to the Mirror.
Since then, it has been found in Yorkshire, Dorset, and Hampshire, and the first verified human case was last year.
Nevertheless, this week, medical professionals issued a warning that the virus might exist elsewhere in the nation because the tick that transmits the illness is more common.
University of Reading’s Prof. Ian Jones, a virology expert, stated to the Mirror: “I believe that the spread that has occurred over the past three years will continue, so I do not believe that it will disappear.
It will spread among the nation’s tick species and grow more common. According to the professor, those who work in woods and rural wardens, particularly those who operate in tall grass, will be most in danger.
This virus in the UK is genetically more similar to the European or Scandinavian strains, suggesting that it may have originated on the continent where ticks are commonly found attached to birds. Especially for those who are more exposed to the virus, Prof. Jones anticipates that a vaccination used in some regions of Europe may be made available in the UK earlier.
He stated, “The vaccine already exists, I seem to recall Austria immunizes—not on a public scale. “Therefore, it can be suggested to those who work for the forestry commission as well as travelers and anyone who are entering an area where there are likely to be infected ticks present.
“We don’t need to create a new one because it is already available, used, and safe. Nothing like Chadox or anything similar applies here. Though the cases now wouldn’t allow it, it may be employed.”
If the vaccine is made available in the UK, according to Prof. Jones: “In the UK, vaccination is not required, but it is recommended for certain occupations, such as forestry or countryside wardens. “Bat handlers, for instance, are urged to get a rabies vaccination. They are not required to accept it.
It is recommended and provided, but it is not required because bats can transmit a form of rabies. If it ever came to that, I think that would be the situation.” The expert thinks that the virus’s possible entry into this nation may be facilitated by climate change.
He went on: “It’s not so much that we don’t have ticks—we always have—but more that they are more active in warmer weather. As a result, if there are prolonged warm spells, tick activity will increase. “When you combine those two factors, ticks have more opportunities to spread the virus, which brings us to our second point: more people are engaging in outdoor activities.
“Tick to tick, with increased potential for sporadic human infections. That is what we just observed, and while I am certain that these numbers will increase, I don’t believe they will increase significantly.” The instructor emphasized: “It doesn’t seem to pose a significant threat to anyone, in my opinion.
In the end, in order to contract this illness, you must come into contact with a tick. “It isn’t the kind of virus that will ever pose a threat to anything in central London or on the Tube. It has a lot to do with outdoor activities in forests and hiking through wildlife.
The essential thing is that people should be aware of it, but it’s not really a big threat to humans in that sense.
He went on to say that the coronavirus epidemic might have piqued people’s curiosity about viruses like this.
According to him, Covid is “spooking” individuals since there is a “general interest in any new virus.” He added of TBEV: “It’s not too much of a surprise that it’s leaped across the Channel and it now looks to be implanted in the UK. It’s prevalent in Europe and its range has been extending for the previous 30 years.”
While the virus is not respiratory, Prof. Jones predicted that there won’t be an outbreak. He continued, “It’s not Covid, and it’s not unexpected.” “It’s not a brand-new virus; it’s a well-known virus. Simply put, it is today where it wasn’t before.” The virus’s severe strains are typically linked to eastern Siberia, whereas the European strains are described as “often relatively light.”
Therefore, a headache, a little tiredness, and some joint discomfort are the most common side effects of an infection, according to Prof. Jones. “The person would feel a little puzzled or disoriented if it progressed to encephalitis at which point they would go to the hospital.