– It’s really bad luck, says Aleksander Fredriksen (33), who is one of more than 70 people who were diagnosed with wood tick encephalitis last year. The disease is better known as the TBE virus. In the summer of 2020, Fredriksen was on a forest trip with the children, and was bitten by a tick. Shortly afterwards he became seriously ill and was diagnosed with the virus. He was still in hospital for ten days. Aleksander Fredriksen still in hospital after tick bite. Photo: VIGDIS HELLA / news New research now shows that Fredriksen may have been particularly unlucky. Only 0.3 percent of the ticks that were checked in the research project carried the virus. – I think an uproarious mood has been created around tick-borne diseases in the media, says Snorre Stuen. He is a professor and tick researcher at NMBU Veterinary College in Sandnes. Greater fear of ticks The researchers have checked around 30,000 ticks in the project. The tick is controlled at 70–80 locations from the Swedish border, along the coast, and up to Brønnøysund. There they saw that ticks with the TBE virus are located in a smaller area in the country. In some places, there is a higher incidence of the virus than others. – We are talking about a spread out area the size of a football field, says Stuen. Telemark Hospital has created a map of the area where you are most exposed to the virus. The map shows that the area along the coast of Vestfold and Telemark is an epicenter for cases of infection with the TBE virus. There has been a clear increase since 2018. 2021 was a record year. In Agder, there are also many cases of infection. FHI recommends vaccination for children and adults who travel along the coast in these areas and old Buskerud county. In other areas of the country, no cases of human infection have been reported, but TBE virus has been detected in ticks as far away as Nordland. Many calls FHI The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) has also been involved in examining the tick. They feel that more people have become afraid of ticks recently. Many have called this summer and asked if they should take the vaccine. – When I ask these people if they have ever been bitten by a tick, the answer is often no. You have to travel a lot in the forest in an exposed area before a vaccine is necessary, says Arnulf Soleng, who is a specialist in ticks at FHI. Aleksander Fredriksen believes that no one should be afraid to walk in the forest because of ticks, but he emphasizes that the danger of the TBE virus is not high. – It is appropriate to warn about the danger of this virus. I have also spoken to many people recently who have contracted the virus, says Fredriksen. Soleng in FHI also says that it is difficult to calculate an exact figure for how large a proportion of the ticks in Norway carry the TBE virus. He says one must therefore take the figure 0.3 per cent with a pinch of salt. Arnulf Soleng in FHI. Photo: FHI Vaccine It is also difficult to quantify how big the chance is of being infected by the TBE virus, and how many people get sick. The infection varies from area to area. In the areas where people have been most infected, such as in Vestfold and Telemark, the number of ticks with TBE has been slightly higher. At most, 1.2 per cent of ticks have been infected. The father of small children, Aleksander Fredriksen, nevertheless advises everyone to take the vaccine against the TBE virus. He is also among those who believe the vaccine should be included in the vaccination program where the infection rate is high. – It affected my whole family when I got sick. The security you get with a vaccine is worth the price. Snorre Stuen agrees that people should be vaccinated, but only if they live in an area where people have been infected by the TBE virus. – If you live in a town that is far away from an area where TBE has been detected, I think you should wait, says Stuen.
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New information about tick virus – I think the fear of ticks is on the rise – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
