Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis

Around two in every three people infected with a tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus don't develop any symptoms. However,if symptoms do develop, they can be very serious.

In most cases, the symptoms of TBE develop in two distinct stages.

First stage

The initial symptoms of TBE usually develop at some point between two and 28 days after being bitten by an infected tick. Symptoms can include:

• a high temperature (fever)
• a Headaches
• tiredness
• muscle pain
• feeling sick

These initial symptoms usually last for one to eight days, after which point most peoplewill make a full recovery.

However, after a period of up to three weeks without any symptoms, some people will go on to develop more serious problems.

Second stage

In thesecond phase of the infection, the virus starts to affect your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), which can cause:

• meningitis inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord
• encephalitis inflammation of the brain

Symptoms of meningitis and encephalitis include:

• a sudden fever
• nausea and vomiting
• a stiff neck
• a headache
• changes in mental state, such as confusion, drowsiness, or disorientation
• seizures (fits)
• sensitivity to bright light (photophobia)
• an inability to speak
• personality andbehavioural changes
• paralysis (inability to move certain body parts)

If TBE reaches this stage, you'll need to be admitted to hospital. These symptoms usually slowly get better over a few weeks, but it may take several months or years to make a full recovery and more than one in 10 people develop long-term problems.

Around one in every 100 people who develops symptoms ofTBE will die as a result of the condition.

Call 999 (or the equivalent number where you're staying) immediately and ask for an ambulance if you have flu-like symptoms that are getting rapidly worse and are affecting your mental state.

and treating tick-borne encephalitis .