A rare incident has occurred on the island of Bornholm, where a 58-year-old woman was bitten by a hunting tick while walking her dogs. This is the first recorded case in Denmark where a person has been bitten by this specific type of tick, which has previously only been seen on horses in the country.
According to senior researcher René Bødker from the University of Copenhagen, the hunting tick is extremely rare in the Danish nature, and therefore it is nothing that Bornholmers or tourists should worry about. “Hunting ticks will very rarely bite humans, and the current tick bite should be considered an exotic incident that is unlikely to happen again,” he says.
However, hunting ticks can carry the dangerous Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, which can be fatal. Therefore, it is important to be aware of tick bites in general. The senior researcher emphasizes that there is more reason to worry about the more common forest ticks, which can transmit Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus, causing serious illnesses such as encephalitis. TBE-infected ticks have been found both on Bornholm and in North Zealand.
The Danish Health Authority recommends protecting the skin with clothing when moving in forest areas or tall grass. Chief physician Gideon Ertner suggests wearing long sleeves, long pants, and tall boots to minimize the risk of tick bites.
In order to recognize the hunting tick, one can notice that it is the size of a pinky fingernail and has characteristic red legs with yellow “knuckles.” The woman’s husband took a picture of the tick before it was flushed down the toilet, contributing to the identification of this rare tick.
Although the incident is unusual, experts encourage taking necessary precautions to protect against all types of tick bites.