A virus with a mortality rate of up to 30 percent is spreading in Europe. The “culprit” is the hunting tick, more precisely Hyaloma marginatum.
Recently, British professor James Wood warned that it is only a matter of time before the disease reaches Britain. That’s what the British newspaper writes The Independent.
– Bleeding from body openings
Crimean fever, or Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, is transmitted according to Institute of Public Health (FHI) to humans through tick bites. It has a mortality rate of between 20 and 30 percent.
– The disease develops rapidly with fever, muscle pain, headache, dizziness, sore eyes and lightheadedness. Later symptoms are abdominal pain, psychological reactions and bleeding under the skin and from the body’s various openings, states FHI.
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Virologist Ali Mirazimi at the Swedish Karolinska Institute warned earlier this year that hunting ticks carrying the virus are moving upwards in Europe as a result of climate change, when summers become longer and drier.
Already proven in Norway
The hunting tick, or the “monster tick” as it has also been called, is three times the size of a normal forest tick and “runs after” its prey. The tick species has already been detected in Norway, and to an even greater extent in Northern Europe, says Professor Snorre Stuen at the Veterinary College.
But the virus is so far not found this far north.
– Research has been carried out on this tick species in Germany and Sweden, among others, but they have not found the Crimean-Congo virus so far. In the long term, the limit for infection is suggested to be 50 degrees north latitude, but that changes all the time, he explains to Dagbladet.
PROFESSOR: Snorre Stuen has worked with ticks and tick-borne diseases for over 30 years. Photo: Private Show more
In that case, it includes countries such as Germany and France. Stuen says that the tick species will be able to come to Norway with migratory birds.
– For it to become a problem, there must be enough for them to mate. One is not enough, he says, but clarifies:
– In Norway, I think there is little so far. However, if climate change continues it will probably increase. In the long term, I would imagine that it will become much more relevant.
Running after the prey
With new tick species come new infectious agents. The professor emphasizes that even if the tick species comes to Norway, fortunately not all specimens carry the infection.
– This also applies to the wood tick. Not everyone has Lyme disease, perhaps ten to fifteen percent, he explains.
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Although there is no reason to sound the alarm in Norway at the moment, those who are going on holiday this summer should be a little wary, perhaps especially if the journey goes to South-East Europe, such as Turkey.
– The tick comes from the east, it is much more widespread in Asia and Africa, together with other types of hunting ticks, he explains.
TICKS: April marks the start of tick season, and it may be a good idea to take some preventive measures against being bitten. Video: Embla Hjort-Larsen. Photo: NTB Show more
But the hunting tick is not the only tick species you should watch out for, according to the expert.
– Most likely in Norway
There is also another species, which is already close to us here in the north, called Ixodes persulcatus (Taiga tick).
– The tick has established itself both in Finland and northern Sweden, and has most likely arrived in Norway with migratory birds from the east. It carries with it other TBE virus variants that are more serious.
TBE virus infections or tick encephalitis can cause infection of the central nervous system. The virus is transmitted through tick bites, according to FHI.
– Safari tourists most at risk
If you are going on holiday in South Africa, there is another tick species you should watch out for – namely the Amblyomma tick. It can carry a bacterium called Rickettsia afrikae, which can cause rickettsiosis.
Looking forward to this
It is according to Major medical encyclopedias a collective term for diseases caused by Rickettsia bacteria. One of the bacterial species from this group – Rickettsia aeschlimannii – has also been detected in hunting ticks in Sweden.
– In Norway, in recent decades there have been a number of cases of tick-transmitted rickettsiosis in Norwegians who have stayed in areas abroad where the infection occurs, particularly in Africa. Most import cases have been of African tick typhus, which is caused by Rickettsia africae, the encyclopedia writes.
AMBLYOMMA: Here Professor Snorre Stuen holds a hunting tick, a so-called Amblyomma tick from South Africa. Photo: Private Show more
Most at risk are safari tourists in the southern part of Africa, who may then run the risk of encountering the Amblyomma tick.
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– This is also a hunting tick that runs after you. The forest tick takes time, but it is fast and can cause serious symptoms in tourists who have been on holiday, Stuen explains.
Advice before the holiday
In this way, tourists can bring infectious agents home to Norway.
– If the incubation period is two to three weeks, then you may have returned home before becoming ill. If flu or skin symptoms occur, you should think about this: Where have I been and what kind of infection have I come across? Could it have been a tick?
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The professor advises you who are going on holiday to investigate in advance what kind of infection has been detected in the areas you are going to visit. There are not that many vaccines available.
– You shouldn’t be afraid, but there is a balancing act here. Look for what symptoms the infection can cause. The most important thing is to observe early, so you get treatment quickly. If you don’t feel well one to three weeks after your holiday, and you suspect a tick-borne illness, you should see a doctor.
Take a picture of it!
If the accident is the first time, and you have seen that the tick has bitten you, there are a few simple steps you can take that can be very helpful:
– You can save on the tick, or take a picture of it. It might be good for the doctor to know. In Norway, it usually takes 24 hours from the time the tick settles until it transmits the infectious agent, but some infectious agents can be transmitted directly, says Stuen.
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At the same time, the professor emphasizes that not all ticks carry the infection.
– You don’t need to be nervous, but attentive, he says.
2023-07-18 20:50:05
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