Our temperate climate was once too cool for the giant Hyalomma tick, but warming temperatures are enabling it to establish here.
The tick was discovered in Drenthe. As reported by de Volkskrant, a woman found it on her horse.
Read also: Tick care
The Hyalomma tick measures two to three times larger than typical ticks, moves much faster, and has distinctive striped legs.
Harmless to animals, it can transmit the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus to humans—an Ebola-like disease. Biologist Arnold van Vliet warns of potential liver damage and, in severe cases, death.
No immediate cause for alarm: it's not yet confirmed if this tick carries the virus.
