Scientists in Surrey may have found a way to help stop a deadly virus carried by ticks from spreading to humans.

SFTSV was first reported between late March and mid-July 2009 in rural areas of Hubei and Henan provinces in Central China.

University of Surrey researchers have found two natural proteins in ticks that seem to block the virus from making copies of itself.

They say the discovery, published in Nature Communications, could lead to new ways to prevent the virus from spreading in the future.