Your article (Hikers urged to check themselves for ticks after deadly virus found in UK, 5 April) must be taken seriously by health professionals and the public. Last summer, my adult son fell ill with raging headaches, fever and disorientation after a brief holiday in Sweden. Having guessed that it was either Lyme disease or tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), it led to a protracted battle on my part to convince healthcare professionals that he needed urgent help.
Days passed with him in agony and me being fobbed off by a multitude of disparaging experts. Luckily, one GP raised the alarm after requesting more blood tests. He was admitted to hospital, but I still had to use my best persuasive powers, quoting a Swedish scientific study, to get the experts to consider him as an encephalitis patient needing urgent attention.
Many countries now offer vaccinations against TBEV. I urge the NHS to ensure that this debilitating and sometimes deadly virus is on its radar and in the public domain. Luckily my son recovered, though with residual symptoms. I wouldn’t wish this virus on anyone.
Fiona Duby
Brighton
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