In the Czech Republic, a priest reportedly went into psychosis after a tick bite and resorted to cutting off his own penis with a knife, reports the New York Post. 

The Českobudějovick, Southern Bohemia mayor told a local media outlet,

“We don’t know exactly what happened, it was probably a health problem.” 

Czech locals became concerned when the clergyman didn’t appear for a scheduled meeting. Paramedics discovered him unconscious and covered in blood, with his severed penis nearby, as reported by Czech outlets.

The injured clergyman was quickly taken to the nearby hospital, where doctors found additional injuries to his genitals. His worsening condition led to an induced coma and 10 days on a ventilator, according to the Daily Mail. However, the man’s comatose state made it challenging for medics to determine what had happened before.

Vicar general of the České Budějovice diocese, David Henzl, told the local news outlet,

“He is lying unconscious in the ARO ward [critical care unit]… Due to these circumstances, it is impossible to find out what really happened.”

The religious leader testified that doctors found viral-related damage to the patient’s nervous system. It was suggested that the priest had tick-borne encephalitis, a tick-transmitted disease causing brain swelling and potential personality changes and psychosis in advanced stages.

The Czech Republic has a high TBE incidence, with 500 to 1,000 cases annually, especially in the South Bohemian region where the incident took place. The clergyman had prior health issues, but no foul play is suspected according to the police.

#Clique, what are your thoughts?