Tick-borne encephalitis - Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis

Around two in every three people infected with tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus don't develop any symptoms, but if you do develop symptoms 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. These symptoms can include:

a high temperature (fever)
a headache
tiredness
muscle pain
feeling sick

These initial symptoms usually last for one to eight days, after which point most people will 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 the second phase of the disease, 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)
inability to speak
changes in personality and behaviour
paralysis (inability to move certain body parts)

If TBE reaches this stage, you will need to be admitted to hospital. These symptoms usually get slowly 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 of TBE will die as a result of the condition.

Read more about the complications of tick-borne encephalitis.

When to seek medical advice

If you have returned from a part of the world known to have cases of TBE and you begin to experience flu-like symptoms you should contact your GP for advice.

You should seek medical advice as soon as possible if you have been bitten by a tick in a TBE risk area and you haven't been vaccinated against TBE, or if you develop a rash or fever after being bitten.

The advanced stages of TBE need emergency treatment in hospital. Call 999 (or the equivalent number where you are staying) immediately and ask for an ambulance if you have flu-like symptoms that are getting rapidly worse and are affecting your mental state.