Tick bites!

[senua]

Deer-free Areas May Be Haven For Ticks, Disease

Excluding deer could be a counterproductive strategy for controlling tick-borne infections, because the absence of deer from small areas may lead to an increase in ticks, rapidly turning the area into a potential disease hotspot, according to a team of U.S. and Italian researchers.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0830214714.htm

[speckled wood]

One reason that I am relectant to take friends and relatives along with me on field trips is that they always seem to want to wear shorts and other clothing that leaves them exposed to the risk of attack from things like nettle stings and ticks. I might get laughed at by keeping cvered whatever the weather but so far (touch wood) I have escaped such attacks.

[James21]

I had the same problem when i went on a high rope course i found the tick early got rid of it never really thought about it at first but friends said it was a tick and it ended up as a put off from going again. Thanks for the info i feel a bit more safe to do it again as it was a great day out.

[snowdrop]

Brilliant tip Kev.

Hey, Rich.
I cant for the life of me remember the name of the man in your Avatar. What is it pleeeease.? And what was the name of the Tv programme he used to be in?
It was a smashing country persuits programme.

[Fritillary]

Originally Posted by hobjob
Blood tests are unreliable - you should be treated on the symptoms even if blood tests are negative, and they usually are soon after the bite

I think as well that it is too much be treated if you dont have any symptoms.
take things easy, too much worry could do you become to feel symptoms when you have nothing.
Even the illness is not dangerous, I want to say, since the first symptoms, you are being treated and you will be fine 100 %

Dont spoil you escapes to the nature

[Owl-Light]

Originally Posted by Rich_

Anyone have any experience of ticks.

Went walking yesterday and found one embedded in my flesh today, don't know if it had attached its self then or been in my jacket and attached today. It didn't look particularly engorged as it's body was still quite flat.

My main concern was lyme disease which these beasts can carry. I had it removed by a nurse at the local surgery (who splattered it with the tweezers, I could have done that myself). She thinks she got the head out after a bit of digging. I did ask her about the risk of lyme disease but she said it was minimal. Do any of you think differently?

The inexperience of your nurse makes me shudder, in all seriousness you'd have been better going to a Vet.

Get yourself an O'Tom Tick Remover They cost next to nothing and work brilliantly removing the entire tick easily without squashing it and allowing it to disgorge its contents into the wound in the process which adds to the risk factor. I always carry one with me on my bag when I'm out and about.

You might find some discussions on BCUK useful. There is a lot of helpful and detailed information on there on the subject.

[Hobjob]

For those interested in Lyme disease the Infectious Disease Society of America have recently published long and very erudite advice on Lyme Disease - as relating to USA, but most of it applies to Eurasia too.

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"For prevention of Lyme disease after a recognized tick bite, routine use of antimicrobial prophylaxis or serologic testing is not recommended"

[celiar]

Originally Posted by Hobjob

"For prevention of Lyme disease after a recognized tick bite, routine use of antimicrobial prophylaxis or serologic testing is not recommended"

Correct! – No amount of prophylactic treatment or inconclusive blood testing will prevent anyone from contracting Lyme disease/Borreliosis, because, by the time you’ve been bitten you could already be infected.

With such ‘erudite’ information and logic is it any wonder Borreliosis is still classed as an incredibly rare disease in the UK, whilst at the same time there are approximately 240,000 children and adults diagnosed with ME/CFS, whilst Scotland has the highest percentage per head of population, in the entire civilised world, of people diagnosed as having Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Symptoms of chronic Borreliosis are known to mimic those attributed to both ME/CFS and MS, along with a whole host of other idiopathic conditions presided over by the NHS.

With studies detailing on average 1 in 3 ticks in the UK infected with one or more bacterial/protozoal infections I fail to understand your insistence of promoting such narrow minded logic.

I have lived with this infection all my life, I personally know many individuals who have suffered equally, and there are quite literally hundreds of people in the UK being refused treatment due to the inconclusive blood testing techniques as recommended by yourself and IDSA. I sincerely hope that you never fall ill with such infections, but if you think that by reading such information you know best, then I’ve got better things to do with what health I have than try to dissuade you.

However, I will say again, for those of you interested in accurate information on how to prevent becoming infected with Lyme disease, Borreliosis, or any of the other known tick-borne infections not routinely tested for in the UK see Bada-uk Home Page

[Airehead]

Every time I go to the Highlands I pick up a tick. Done it again, this time on the north coast. Went for a walk off the path, across wet moorland with long grass, found myself scratching two spots later in bed. Puts a whole new meaning on the expression "back in two ticks".

[Hobjob]

Originally Posted by celiar

Correct! – No amount of prophylactic treatment or inconclusive blood testing will prevent anyone from contracting Lyme disease/Borreliosis, because, by the time you’ve been bitten you could already be infected.

With such ‘erudite’ information and logic is it any wonder Borreliosis is still classed as an incredibly rare disease in the UK, whilst at the same time there are approximately 240,000 children and adults diagnosed with ME/CFS, whilst Scotland has the highest percentage per head of population, in the entire civilised world, of people diagnosed as having Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Symptoms of chronic Borreliosis are known to mimic those attributed to both ME/CFS and MS, along with a whole host of other idiopathic conditions presided over by the NHS.

With studies detailing on average 1 in 3 ticks in the UK infected with one or more bacterial/protozoal infections I fail to understand your insistence of promoting such narrow minded logic.[/url]

Dear Celiar

The link I posted was to:

"""
Evidence-based guidelines for the management of patients with Lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis (formerly known as human granulocytic ehrlichiosis), and babesiosis were prepared by an expert panel of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. These updated guidelines replace the previous treatment guidelines published in 2000 (Clin Infect Dis 2000; 31[Suppl 1]:1–14). The guidelines are intended for use by health care providers who care for patients who either have these infections or may be at risk for them. For each of these Ixodes tickborne infections, information is provided about prevention, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment. Tables list the doses and durations of antimicrobial therapy recommended for treatment and prevention of Lyme disease and provide a partial list of therapies to be avoided. A definition of post–Lyme disease syndrome is proposed.
"""
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You appear to think that you know better than these world experts
as you accuse me of "peddling such narrow minded logic".

I leave others to read the paper and decide for themselves.