Emil Karlsson remains wheelchair-bound seven years after TBE diagnosis

Emil Karlsson, 43, has been confined to a wheelchair since contracting tick-borne encephalitis seven years ago. The diagnosis followed a tick bite on his property on Blidö, an island northeast of Stockholm.

In June 2019, Karlsson collapsed at home after walking his dog. Emergency services airlifted him to hospital, where doctors confirmed severe TBE infection. The virus caused inflammation of the brain, meninges and spinal cord, leaving him without sensation in his hands and feet.

“I wasn’t fully vaccinated, so doctors couldn’t rule out other viruses or neurological conditions,” Karlsson said. “It took three spinal taps to confirm TBE.”

Despite his condition, Karlsson describes himself as positive. He recently became a father to a son.

Sweden has recorded 213 TBE cases so far this year, according to the Public Health Agency. That compares with 111 cases in 2024 and 138 in 2025 for the same period. Authorities attribute the rise to climate change, which has created warmer springs that favor tick populations.

Karlsson’s story is featured in a video report by SVT Nyheter.