Woman in Coma for 42 Days After Tick Bite During Holiday
A serious warning has been issued for travellers planning holidays in Europe. Victoria Stellas (51), a mother of one from Anglesey, Wales, has had her life completely changed by a tick bite sustained during a holiday on the Greek island of Syros. The tiny insect’s bite triggered a rare brain infection that left her in a coma for nearly six weeks.
The incident began when Victoria visited her brother-in-law’s home, where goats—animals known to attract ticks—were kept. Initially, she only experienced mild flu-like symptoms. However, upon returning home, her condition deteriorated drastically with severe nightly seizures.
As local medical teams struggled to diagnose her illness, Victoria was referred by helicopter to the Walton Centre in Liverpool. There, doctors were forced to induce a coma for 42 days to save her life. MRI scans eventually confirmed that Victoria was suffering from Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE), a viral infection that causes fatal brain inflammation.
‘It has completely changed my life. Apart from work, I don’t go out much,’ Victoria said. The impact of the disease has been devastating; due to short-term memory loss and ongoing seizures, she lost her job at a pub and her position as a teaching assistant for children with special needs. ‘Name a job that doesn’t require memory? Everything you do in life requires memory. Shopping, working, travelling. I recognise everyone’s faces, but I can’t remember their names. That problem persists to this day,’ she added. Victoria now relies on 15 to 18 tablets daily to control her symptoms and is forced to sleep with her mother due to trauma from night seizures.
According to NHS data, TBE is a viral infection spread by tick bites. Symptoms include fatigue, headaches, seizures, confusion, slurred speech, and partial paralysis. Professor Benedict Michael from the University of Liverpool explained that while TBE cases have increased globally over the past 30 years, severe conditions like Victoria’s are rare. ‘About 97% of people infected will show no symptoms or only mild flu. Only 3% develop complications of brain infection. This condition is very critical because we do not yet have effective antiviral drugs for TBE. The main treatment is keeping the patient safe and preventing seizures,’ Prof Michael explained.
Given that there is no cure for TBE, prevention is paramount. Health experts stress that the infection is entirely preventable through vaccination. Victoria, who was born in Greece but raised in Wales, admitted she had no knowledge of the TBE vaccine before the tragedy struck. She now actively shares her story with students at Bangor University to raise public awareness. Public Health Wales (PHW) has shared several safety tips for those planning outdoor activities or visiting tick-endemic areas: get the TBE vaccination at least one month before travelling to risk areas; wear long-sleeved tops and long trousers in wooded areas or near animals; use insect repellent containing DEET on exposed skin; always check your body, clothing, and pets after outdoor activities; and remove attached ticks immediately using fine-tipped tweezers or a special tool to reduce infection risk.