Poverty link to tick-borne disease

Science - Cath Harris | 28 Mar 11. Oxford University researchers have linked a surge in the incidence of tick-borne disease in Eastern Europe to poverty levels. Their study of 14 European countries, published in Parasites and Vectors , associated socio-economic factors in three east European countries with the highest increases in outbreaks of tick-borne encephalitis [ TBE ]. TBE is a viral infection of the central nervous system caught from the Ixodes ricinus tick. The scientists attributed the 2009 increases to a reaction to unemployment in countries where pre-existing poverty levels were high. This may have led to a rise in the consumption and commercial use of foods sought in nearby forests, where ticks are found. 'The bottom line from research is that everyone focuses on the biology of disease,' Professor Sarah Randolph of the Department of Zoology says.