Mountain bikers heading into Europe are being encouraged to use an online device to help them find out whether they might be at risk of potentially fatal Tick Borne Encephalitis (TBE) in Europe.
The ‘TBE Travel Check’, now available at the Tick Alert website (www.tickalert.org) takes less than a minute to complete and asks users a sequence of simple questions about where they are going and any outdoor activities they are planning to determine their level of risk.
A message at the end of the test advises whether a user should consider seeking medical advice ahead of their trip.
A Tick Alert spokesperson said: “The TBE Travel Check gives people a better understanding of their risk before they travel so they can think about the need for precautions against the disease. “Many of us heading into Europe often don’t consider seeking travel health advice so we hope this quick check will help.”
The ‘TBE Travel Check’ is one of a number of new-look features to Tick Alert’s website (www.tickalert.org), which now includes the latest updates on TBE risk, prevention measures taken by health authorities in various destinations and an interactive map showing risk areas of Europe
TBE is a viral disease contracted via the bite of an infected tick which is endemic in 27 countries in Europe. It leads to an annual average of 10,000 cases needing hospital treatment.Two in every 100 TBE sufferers will die from the disease.
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Ho Please, we have to live with ticks with Lymes,all the time in Thetford, learn the symptoms and check yourself after each ride, But PLEASE dont let it stop you riding, I have been treated 2 times in the last 15 years for Lymes.
Ho yes, the bit about removing with fine tip tweezers, NOT Correct, you can get proper tick tweezers from the vets, they clamp on the tick, and you should not just pull them out, they should be twisted out anti clockwise otherwise the snout gets left in the skin, once you remove the tick,keep on a bit of sticky tape and keep, apply antiseptic and watch the area, if it comes up in a red circle, go to the doctor (Take Tick) and insist on a weeks antibiotics,