Ticks and Lyme disease! A reminder for all – please be aware share and comment?

Ticks

Tick in hand

• As I was walking in my shorts it reminds me of the annual problem we have with ticks. They love the heather, long grass and ferns and at times during the height of summer I have found several ticks on me after a day out on the hills. I am glad they are now acknowledging as another problem for the hillwalker and mountaineers. It is worth reading the information below and doing a bit of research on these wee beasties that can cause you a lot of trouble.
• With the arrival of spring, now is a good time to brush up on your knowledge of ticks; what they are, where they live, the diseases they can carry, and how to minimise your risk of infection.

• With the arrival of spring, now is a good time to brush up on your knowledge of ticks; what they are, where they live, the diseases they can carry, and how to minimise your risk of infection.
• Being out in the countryside or even town parks and gardens where wildlife is present may put you and your pets at risk from tick bites?
• Around 3,000 people in the UK contract Lyme disease (Borreliosis) from a tick bite each year?Recent research suggests that the prevalence of Lyme disease bacteria in the UK tick population is considerably higher than previously thought?

The most important tick prevention behaviour is regular checking of your body, particularly the skin folds, and prompt removal of any ticks found. It is important to try and remove ticks within 24 hours of attaching.

The following measure can also help to prevent tick bites.

• Use of repellent on skin (DEET) and/or permethrin on clothing
• Avoiding contact with tall vegetation where ticks are likely to be questing
• Walk on the paths or centre of tracks where possible rather than in the long grass or verges
• Wearing light coloured clothing to easily see ticks and brush them off before they attach to skin

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  Tick remover

• Tuck trousers into socks or shoes to minimise ticks under clothing
• Regular checks for ticks on clothing
• Regular use of tick treatment on companion animals and regular checking and removal of ticks from pets. Different tick species are found in different habitats, but the ticks most commonly found on humans or their pets are found in woodland, heathland, upland or moorland pastures and grassland. Ticks are particularly abundant in ecotones, the transition zone between two vegetation communities, such as woodland and meadow or shrub communities, which permit a wider range of potential hosts.

Removing a tick safely

If you are bitten, follow these simple steps to safely remove ticks

• Removing a tick safely

If you are bitten, follow these simple steps to safely remove ticks

• 1. Remove the tick as soon as possible using fine tipped tweezers or a tick-removal tool.
  2. Grasp the tick head parts as close to the skin as possible,
  3. Pull upwards firmly and steadily, without jerking or twisting (twisting is not recommended as this increases the chance of the mouthparts breaking off, thereby remaining in the skin and increasing the chance of a secondary localised infection).
  4. Don’t squeeze or crush the tick’s body as this could increase the risk of infection by prompting the tick to regurgitate saliva into the bite wound.
  5. After removal of the tick, apply an antiseptic to the bite site.
  6. Don’t use petroleum jelly, liquid solutions, freeze or burn the tick.
  7. After the tick has been removed, continue to check the bite site over the subsequent month, looking for signs of increased redness or rash.
  8. Consult your doctor if any symptoms develop.