References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Crimean-Congo Haemorrahagic Fever – Signs and Symptoms. 2013. https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/crimean-congo/symptoms/index.html (accessed 19 February 2020)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tickborne Diseases of the United States. 2019a. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/index.html (accessed 19 February 2020)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tickborne Disease Surveillance Data Summary. 2019b. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/data-summary/index.html (accessed 19 February 2020)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How ticks spread disease. 2019c. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/life_cycle_and_hosts.html (accessed 19 February 2020)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tick Bites/Prevention. 2019d. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/tickbornediseases/tick-bites-prevention.html (accessed 19 February 2020)

Electronic Medicines Compendium. TicoVac 0.5 ml Suspension for injection in a prefilled syringe. 2020a. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/30324 (accessed 19 February 2020)

Electronic Medicines Compendium. TicoVac Junior 0.25 ml Suspension for injection in a pre-filled syringe. 2020b. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/30334 (accessed 19 February 2020)

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Factsheet about Borreliosis. 2016. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/borreliosis/facts/factsheet (accessed 19 February 2020)

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. ECDC comment: European Commission updates communicable disease surveillance list - Lyme neuroborreliosis now under EU/EEA surveillance. 2018. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/news-events/ecdc-comment-european-commission-updates-communicable-disease-surveillance-list-lyme (accessed 19 February 2020)

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Tick-borne encephalitis - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2018. 2019a. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/tick-borne-encephalitis-annual-epidemiological-report-2018 (accessed 19 February 2020)

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2018. 2019b. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/crimean-congo-haemorrhagic-fever-cchf-annual-epidemiological-report-2018 (accessed 19 February 2020)

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Tick factheets. 2020a. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/disease-vectors/facts/tick-factsheets (accessed 19 February 2020)

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Factsheet about tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). 2020b. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/tick-borne-encephalitis/facts/factsheet (accessed 19 February 2020)

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Factsheet about Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF). 2020c. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/crimean-congo-haemorrhagic-fever/facts/factsheet (accessed 19 February 2020)

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Personal protective measures against tick bites. 2020d. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/disease-vectors/prevention-and-control/protective-measures-ticks (accessed 19 February 2020)

International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. Around the World: Tick-borne diseases. 2017. https://www.iamat.org/blog/around-the-world-tick-borne-diseases/ (accessed 19 February 2020)

Graham S Tick-borne encephalitis. What is it and how can it be prevented?. Practice Nursing. 2018; 29:(4) https://doi.org/10.12968/pnur.2018.29.4.171

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Lyme disease NICE guideline [NG95]. 2018a. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng95/chapter/Context (accessed 19 February 2020)

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Lyme disease: erythema migrans. 2018b. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng95/resources/lyme-disease-rash-images-pdf-4792273597 (accessed 19 February 2020)

National Travel Health Network and Centre. Factsheet. Tick-borne Encephalitis. 2017. https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/factsheet/22/tick-borne-encephalitis (accessed 19 February 2020)

National Travel Health Network and Centre. Factsheet. Insect and tick bite avoidance. 2018. https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/factsheet/38/insect-and-tick-bite-avoidance (accessed 19 February 2020)

National Travel Health Network and Centre. Country Information. 2020. https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries (accessed 19 February 2020)

National Travel Health Network and Centre. Diseases in brief; Tick-borne encephalitis. https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/disease/173/tick-borne-encephalitis (accessed 19 February 2020)

Pfeffer M, Dobler G Emergence of zoonitic arboviruses by animal and trade transmission. Parasit Vectors. 2010; 3:(1) https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-3-35

Public Health England. Immunisation against infectious disease. Chapter 31, Tick-borne encephalitis. 2013. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tick-borne-encephalitis-the-green-book-chapter-31 (accessed 20 February 2020)

Public Health England. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever: origins, reservoirs, transmission and guidelines. 2014. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/crimean-congo-haemorrhagic-fever-origins-reservoirs-transmission-and-guidelines (accessed 19 February 2020)

Public Health England. Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) group. Qualitative assessment of the risk that Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) presents to the UK population. 2017b. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/765507/HAIRS_risk_assessment_CCHF.pdf (accessed 19 February 2020)

Public Health England. Lyme disease: resources and guidance. 2018. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lyme-disease-guidance-data-and-analysis#symptoms-and-differential-diagnosis (accessed 19 February 2020)

Public Health England. Tick-borne encephalitis virus detected in ticks in the UK. 2019. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tick-borne-encephalitis-virus-detected-in-ticks-in-the-uk (accessed 19 February 2020)

World Health Organization. Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever. 2020a. https://www.who.int/health-topics/crimean-congo-haemorrhagic-fever/#tab=tab_1 (accessed 19 February 2020)

World Health Organization. Lyme Borreliosis (Lyme disease). 2020b. https://www.who.int/ith/diseases/lyme/en/ (accessed 19 February 2020)

Travel health

Tick-borne diseases: an update for general practice

02 March 2020
Clinical
02 March 2020
Volume 31 · Issue 3

Abstract

Practice nurses offering pre-travel consultations should be aware of tick-borne diseases. Sharon Graham outlines how to help prevent these diseases in travellers

Ticks are the vectors for a number of bacterial and viral infections that can affect humans. This article will outline the general transmission, risk and prevention of tick-borne diseases. Many of these diseases are associated with travel outside of the UK. Where a vaccine for a disease is available in the UK, information will be provided, but not all tick-borne disease is vaccine preventable and people should be aware of personal protection and bite avoidance measures.

Ticks are the vectors for a number of bacterial and viral infections that can affect humans. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists 16 potential tick-borne diseases within the US (CDC, 2019a), and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) provide factsheets for three diseases that occur in Europe (ECDC, 2020a). There are various others such as the ‘tick-borne spotted fevers’ that the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT) list, which are associated with South America, Africa and Asia (IAMAT, 2017). Practice nurses offering pre-travel health advice should refer to country specific information and other resources available to learn more about diseases they are unfamiliar with (National Travel Health Network and Centre [NaTHNaC], 2020).

With limited space to discuss all tick-borne diseases, this article will focus briefly on the those that ECDC (2020a) provide factsheets for: Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). The preventive vaccinations available in the UK will be discussed, and bite prevention measures which are applicable to any tick-borne disease.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Practice Nursing and reading some of our peer-reviewed resources for general practice nurses. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Limited access to clinical or professional articles

  • New content and clinical newsletter updates each month

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address

Tick-borne infections
Tick bites
Tick-borne encephalitis viruses
Travel health
Lyme disease