Encephalitis is a virus transmitted through the saliva of infected ticks. Ticks eat the blood of mammals and while they're feeding, will transmit saliva to the host, much like mosquitoes. Ticks can be chronically infected, passing from one generation to the next. Rural areas tend to have higher instances of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Consuming raw milk from goats, sheep, or cows infected by TBE can also transmit the virus to humans. Person-to-person transmission of the virus, however, is rare.

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