Get your diaries out: we have an exciting date for you.
1 April is the beginning of Tick Prevention Week. Yes, we know what 1 April means, but this is for real; it’s backed by the charity that works to raise awareness of the problems the little sods cause.
BADA-UK – Borreliosis and Associated Diseases Awareness-UK – is running the campaign to warn people, walkers and runners in particular, how to minimise the problems the tiny bloodsucking insects cause.
The association also wants health professionals to be aware of the need quickly to identify infection caused by ticks.
Lyme Disease is on the increase in Scotland, England and Wales. If untreated, permanent nerve damage can be caused. Typical symptoms include fatigue, muscle and joint aches, vertigo and heart problems.
BADA-UK’s 10 tips for avoiding becoming a victim of ticks and their diseases are:
- Avoid shorts: use long trousers tucked in; similarly, protect arms
- Treat clothes with a suitable repellent
- Carry a tick remover
- Walk in the centre of paths, avoiding overhanging vegetation
- Have a ‘tick buddy’ who can check the parts of your body you can’t see
- Landscape your garden to deter ticks
- Keep your pets free of ticks
- Spray pet accessories with repellent
- Groom pets thoroughly
- Don’t bring the biters into your house: take off outdoor clothing before entering your home. Ticks can survive the washing machine and only prolonged heat will kill them.
Ticks pass on the disease they themselves carry and there’s prevalence in areas where deer roam, but the insects are widely carried now on farm animals such as sheep and in long vegetation such as bracken.
Full details are on the tick prevention week website and you can see grough’s information on ticks in our feature section accessible from the left-hand menu or see it here.
