Yesterday we got back from a long weekend spent exploring the dramatic limestone scenery around Morecambe Bay.
As Saturday was a gloriously sunny day, so we decided to climb Whitbarrow. On the way back down we came across a sign warning that the area was infested with deer ticks. Having come prepared, we spent a happy half-hour picking the little blighters off with tweezers.
I've been bitten by deer ticks before. They're hard to avoid when you're walking in the Scottish Highlands, especially in late summer, but I've never encountered such a major infestation in England.
There's a risk of picking up Lyme disease from tick bites. It's a flu-like condition which can develop serious complications. The problem is that the symptoms can take quite a long time to manifest themselves, so you may not realise that you've been infected until the disease is well advanced. According to this website "Each year hundreds of thousands are infected in the US, while in the UK there are usually only a few hundred cases."
This DEFRA report says there were 500 cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales in 2004. The disease seems to be on the increase, possibly because deer populations are rising. As DEFRA says, "the wild deer population has been increasing rapidly in the last 40 years and may now be higher than at any time in the last 1000 years."
I wonder how it will be before the tabloids get hold of this and blow it up into a health scare. Meanwhile, I'll try not to scratch my bites... even though they're itching like crazy!
Addendum:
Since writing this post I have discovered a very useful website:
BADA-UK is a registered charity formed by a group of people from different backgrounds brought together by the effects of Borreliosis / Lyme disease and other associated infections. Amongst our number are scientists, medics, teachers and other professionals who have agreed to use their skills to try to help address the increasing problem of ticks and tick-borne disease in the United Kingdom.
A set of detailed guidance notes on Lyme Disease can be downloaded from: http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/environmental/guidance-notes/lyme-disease.pdf
