More people are getting the TBE (tick) vaccine

Ticks.Photo: Erlend Aas / NTB scanpix

Last year, 17,000 Norwegians chose to be vaccinate against the TBE virus, which one can contract from forest ticks. It is 2,000 more than the year before, show figures from the National Institute of Public Health.

 

The vaccine only protects against the TBE virus, Tick Born Encephalitis, and not Borreliosis, as one can also contract from ticks.

30 percent of those infected with the TBE virus may experience symptoms as brain inflammation, fever, headaches, stiffness of the neck and muscle aches.

“Most people infected will not show any symptoms or signs of disease, but some people get a more serious outcome of the disease,” says senior counselor Solveig Jore at the department of P4 News.

Between 6 to 16 people are infected in Norway every year.

“If you get symptoms, you must seek the help of a doctor,” says Jore.

There is no medical treatment against the virus. There are many persons who hick in forests and fields in the Agder counties, Telemark, Vestfold and Buskerud and often bitten by ticks are highly recommended to get the vaccine.

The disease incidence of TBE virus from ticks is low in Norway compared to other countries. Studies have shown that only 1 percent of the ticks are carriers of the virus, but in some areas of Central and Eastern Europe there are many more who are infected.

There were also 391 cases of infections reported in Sweden last year.

 

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today