Tick Bite Prevention Week

saddie
saddie Posts: 14
It’s that time of year again folks! Ticks will soon be active so read on to find out how to stay protected!

Ticks can carry harmful infections that can be transmitted to humans. It is estimated that each year around 3,000 people in the UK contract Lyme disease (Borreliosis) from a tick bite.

If you take part in outdoor activities or simply enjoy being in the countryside, or parks and gardens where wildlife is present, you may be at risk from tick bites. In fact, research from the School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, published in January 2012, suggests that the prevalence of Lyme disease bacteria in the UK tick population is considerably higher than most recent estimates indicated.

Tick Bite Prevention Week, supported by Mosi-guard Natural™, runs from 26 March-1 April 2012, and is an annual programme that helps promote awareness of tick-borne diseases and effective tick-bite prevention for at-risk groups, including pet owners and their animals.

Don't panic but be 'Tick Aware'!
Simple precautions can help to keep you safe. The campaign's Patron, Bushcraft and Survival expert Ray Mears, shares his Top Tips that can be taken to help prevent ticks from biting people and pets.

The great outdoors is there to be enjoyed, so make sure you visit www.tickbitepreventionweek.org for lots of useful information and advice.

Comments

  • saddie
    saddie Posts: 14
    Hi my name is Lisa, and I am a volunteer for BADA-UK. We are a self funded charity, that raises awareness about ticks and the diseases they carry mainly Lyme Disease. We are trying to cover as many forums as we can for TBPW, to get information out there. So I apologise if I don't answer any of your questions immediately. If it is something you feel is very important please contact us through our website www.bada-uk.org we are also on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for your time and hopefully you will all learn something new. :)
  • saddie
    saddie Posts: 14
    Xeroshield are doing a online questionnaire about ticks and Lyme disease, the information gathered from this will be shared with BADA-UK so will be of great benefit to us....if you live in Scotland and can spare a few minutes to fill it in that would be great...

    On the subject of ticks and Lyme disease, you may be interested to know that a leading Scottish life sciences company called Xeroshield is currently looking for members of the public who live and/or work in Scotland to take five minutes to fill out a simple online survey as part of a major new study.

    Xeroshield is exploring the development of a device to remove ticks from humans and pets, combined with a laboratory service for the detection of Lyme disease in ticks collected and immobilised using this device. The study is designed to assess the potential market for such a product and service. But it is also expected to generate valuable data about general awareness of ticks and Lyme disease in Scotland.

    The survey asks a series of very straightforward questions about people’s own experience of ticks and Lyme disease in Scotland. Xeroshield is keen to hear from anyone who spends long periods of time outdoors for work or leisure and is therefore at higher risk of being bitten by ticks.

    At a later stage, Xeroshield also plans to carry out more detailed interviews and focus groups and would be particularly interested to hear from anyone willing to participate in these later this year.

    If you live and/or work in Scotland, would like to find out more about this project, and to complete the ticks and Lyme disease survey online, please visit: xerolyme.wordpress.com
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    Good info I have been carrying a tick removal prong for a couple of years but fortunately havent needed to use it but can remember the pain when I got bitten a few years back. Little bugger was removed with tweezers but I think a bit was left in and I ended up with a whopping great boil that hurt like the devil for a couple of weeks. I also carry a small pouch of disinfectant wipes to clean up after I remove the tick.
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap