Written question asked by Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party) on Tuesday, 20 June 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 22 June 2023. It was answered by Maria Caulfield (Conservative) on Tuesday, 27 June 2023 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Encephalitis

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase awareness of tick-borne encephalitis.

Answer: The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), along with local authority partners, developed a Tick Awareness Toolkit which has been shared with local authorities and other organisations to deliver tick awareness messaging, including safety relating to ticks and the promotion of tick-bite prevention behaviours. This can be deployed in a variety of settings, including general practitioner surgeries and outdoor spaces. The toolkit also encourages local authorities to evaluate the impact of any campaign work. In order to increase awareness of tick-borne encephalitis amongst clinicians UKHSA has cascaded a briefing note to National Health Service clinicians and has presented on the disease to national and international conferences to inform relevant specialist groups.

Secondary information