Get the low down on the blood-sucking, disease spreading critters at home and abroad...
Happy days - this week - 5-11 May, 2008 - is apparently
Tick Alert Week, a timely campaign intended to heighten public
awareness of ticks and the nasty diseases they spread both at home
and abroad.
Ticks are most active in the summer months between March and
October and can spread a number of nasty infections. In the UK the
primary risk is from Lyme disease and in continental Europe, tick
borne encephalitis - tbe.
It works like this, the nasty little multi-legged blighters lurk
in vegetation then jump a ride as you come walking by. They
anaesthetise an area of skin then bury their mouth parts into you
often using a cement-like substance to hold themselves in place.
Nasty enough in itself, but they can also spread infections and
are difficult to remove. The Tick Alert web site suggests using
tweezers, gripping the tick close to the skin and pulling straight
out, but we've found the specialist tick-removing tools sold by vets
and some outdoor retailers a better method.
Whatever you do, don't squeeze the body of the tick, which can
eject its contents into your body, or use vaseline or nail polish to
try and suffocate it or attempt to burn it off.
The main areas for Lyme disease in the UK include Exmoor, the New
Forest, the South Downs, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Thetford Forest, The
Lakes, Yorkshire Moors and the Scottish Highlands. Early signs are a
rash of red spots and flu-like symptoms. In more serious cases, the
disease can cause nervous system symptoms. More details at www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk.
TBE, found in many European countries, is similarly nasty
More information about the nasty little critters at the Tick
Alert web site where you can sign up to Tick Watch and become
a tick spotter and consult a tick disease map if you're off
travelling in Europe.
