Soccer fans warned of tick danger at Euro 2008

If you are a soccer fan going to watch Euro 2008 it could be worth having a vaccination to prevent catching a little known, but potentially fatal illness that is spread by ticks, a leading scientist warned on Saturday.In 2007, the number of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) cases requiring hospital treatment in Europe rose 30 percent to 13,000, with evidence pointing to warmer temperatures caused by global warming helping to spread the disease.

Endemic in 27 countries across Europe, including joint Euro 2008 hosts Switzerland and Austria, TBE can lead to paralysis, coma and in 1 to 2 percent of cases, death.

Some 2 million foreign fans are expected to descend on Austria and Switzerland for the tournament running from June 7-29, with UEFA expecting around 6 million fans in total.

Soccer fans warned of tick danger at Euro 2008 | Health | Reuters