New tick-borne encephalitis virus hot spot in Northern Zealand, Denmark, October 2019

Abstract

During summer 2019, three patients residing by Tisvilde Hegn, Denmark were hospitalised with tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) after tick bites. A new TBE virus (TBEV) micro-focus was identified in tick nymphs collected around a playground in Tisvilde Hegn forest. Estimated TBEV prevalence was 8%, higher than in endemic areas around Europe. Whole genome sequencing showed clustering to a TBEV strain from Norway. This is the second time TBEV is found in <i>Ixodes ricinus</i> outside Bornholm, Denmark.