Get your tick facts straight as Tick Bite Prevention Week looms, says charity Lyme Disease Action

February 14, 2013

With Tick Bite Prevention Week (24-30 March) – organised and funded by charity BADA-UK – on the horizon, UK-registered charity Lyme Disease Action rules out some of the common myths and misconceptions surrounding tick-borne Lyme disease.

I’ve always heard of ticks, but is it something that I really need to be concerned about?
There’s no need to be afraid…

Walk tick-aware, advice from Lyme Disease Action – Take steps to avoid ticks whilst walking this year

January 14, 2013

Walking – a resolution for 2013 or an ongoing interest? Either way, spare a thought for ticks as you don walking boots and traipse the countryside this year.

From city strolls – complete with picnic in the park – to stomping across fields, and from hiking in the wilderness or leisurely pub walks, charity Lyme Disease Action warns all walkers to be tick aware as they set out on foot, whether walking in the UK or abroad whilst on holiday. (NB ticks are found throughout the UK, North America and across Europe).

Watch out for ticks in these green and pleasant lands

September 5, 2012

- A warning from charity Lyme Disease Action to all country sports fans

With the shooting season almost fully underway in the UK, country sports enthusiasts up and down the country will be getting ready to enjoy the great outdoors.

Whatever the activity – be it shooting, fishing or riding – sporting aficionados are likely to be familiar with landscapes such as heather moorlands, bracken-rich spaces, grassy riverbanks and wooded shooting estates.  They may not, however, be so familiar with Lyme disease and the fact that all these areas are prime habitats for ticks. Lyme Disease Action warns people to look out for ticks this coming season.

Stella Huyshe Shires, Chair of the charity Lyme Disease Action, contracted Lyme disease in Devon and says, “Many will be familiar with removing ticks from gun dogs or pets, but not all would know what to do if they had a tick on themselves. It’s important for people to remember that, wherever your dog goes, you also – by and large – go too. Whilst we don’t want to put anyone off enjoying countryside traditions…

Staying put for summer doesn’t always mean you’ll stay safe

March 5, 2012

- Charity Lyme Disease Action warns UK holidaymakers to be aware of ticks this summer

Even if you’re neither patriotic nor sporty, many of us will be tempted to spend parts of the summer in the UK, joining in with Diamond Jubilee celebrations and Olympic fever – or just watching it at home on TV.

You may think that a summer at home in the UK makes for a less stressful time: there’s no flight to miss, no language to learn, no nasty jabs required and certainly no malaria tablets to take. But those who holiday in familiar surroundings may not necessarily be familiar with ticks.