A brain-swelling illness spread by ticks is on the rise in Europe
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In 2022, doctors recorded the first confirmed case of tick-borne encephalitis virus acquired in the United Kingdom.
It began with a bike ride.
A 50-year-old man was mountain biking in the North Yorkshire Moors, a national park in England known for its vast expanses of woodland and purple heather. At some point on his ride, at least one black-legged tick burrowed into his skin. Five days later, the mountain biker developed symptoms commonly associated with a viral infection: fatigue, muscle pain, fever.
At first, he seemed to be on the mend, but about a week later, the man began to …