Experts call for unified classification system for tick-borne encephalitis
A recent paper involving Encephalitis International’s CEO Ava Easton has highlighted a critical gap in how we classify tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infections.
The research, published in the scientific journal ‘Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases’, brought together an expert panel of European clinicians and scientists with diverse expertise in TBEV infection to create a consensus statement on classifying disease severity in both adults and children.
The current problem
The experts unanimously agreed that there is a need for an international, standardised system to categorise the clinical presentation and severity of TBEV infections. At the moment, different countries and researchers use different methods to classify cases, making it difficult to compare data across studies and regions.
What do the experts recommend?
The panel recommends developing a two-part classification system for:
- The acute phase of the infection
- Follow-up outcomes.
They emphasise that this system should be practical and easy to understand for bedside use and be able to capture both the acute and follow-up phases of TBEV infection.
As stated in the paper, ‘This panel exercise provides the precursory findings to support the next steps for implementing a new classification, which include assessing reliability, validity, and ease of use in clinical settings, whilst considering feasibility of use across different regional practice patterns.’
Tick-borne encephalitis – a growing concern
This study is particularly timely as TBEV infections have increased in Europe in recent decades. A unified classification system would enhance patient care, support development of treatments, and supplement public health surveillance. It would also help researchers better understand disease progression as well as improve vaccine strategies.
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