There are fears that a deadly virus dubbed the ‘new Ebola’ has been carried into Britain by an invasion of ticks
Congo Fever results in death in around two fifths of all cases - and there are no proven vaccines available to prevent it
A TERRIFYING disease has health bosses on high alert, after it was likened to Ebola and alleged to have been brought to the UK by an invasion of ticks.
reported that Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever has already killed one Brit, with the deadly disease dubbed the "next Ebola."
The horrific virus, which is also known as Congo Fever results in death in around two fifths of all cases - and there are no proven vaccines available to prevent it.
Those unlucky enough to catch the disease often suffer from internal bleeding, before organ failure strikes down the sufferer.
Infected ticks are capable of spreading the disease from animals to humans, and some of parasites infected with Congo Fever are believed to have made their way to the UK.
Health bosses begun to take note of the virus after two women in Spain died as a result of the disease, which is spreading around the world from Africa, India, China, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Two further people have been placed in isolation in Spain, where experts are worried that contact with infected people may spread the disease further.
For those infected, early flu-like symptoms tend to develop into a full fever, before sufferers start to vomit uncontrollably and internal bleeding causes a bloody rash on the skin.
An increased heart rate is a common symptom later on, before infected people succumb to the disease and suffer from organ failure as a result.
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Public Health England says that the UK is only at a "negligable" risk from the disease, since it is rare for infected people to bring the virus to Britain.
However, The Star claims that ticks capable of spreading the infection can be found in the UK - having been carried into the country on migrating birds.
Thankfully, the ticks carrying the disease rarely bite people, although it is not impossible for Brits to get nipped by the parasites and contract the disease.
Nick Phin, deputy director of Public Health England’s national infections service, told the Daily Star Online: “We are aware of the cases of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in Spain and are monitoring the international situation very closely.
“Imported cases to the UK are very rare and we have excellent surveillance systems to detect such cases and robust infection control procedures in place in the event that a case is detected.
“The risk to the wider population is negligible as the tick that carries CCHF is not established in the UK and it cannot survive here.”