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Lyme disease alert in New Forest
6:11pm Saturday 12th July 2008
Comments (22)
WALKERS and campers in the New Forest are being warned to watch out for signs of a disease that can cause blindness and paralysis.
Lyme disease is spread by ticks - tiny blood-sucking insects that are prevalent in nine parts of the UK, including the Forest. Anyone walking through bracken and long grass - or even sitting down to enjoy a picnic - is at risk of catching the disease, which is on the increase. It is particularly common in areas with large numbers of deer.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) is pressing the Government to tackle what it describes as a growing threat to public health.
The institute says 800 laboratory cases of Lyme disease are confirmed annually, plus up to 2,000 cases that are diagnosed and treated by family GPs.
A CIEH spokesman said: "Lyme disease is caused by infected ticks and can cause symptoms from a rash to blindness and paralysis.
"Treating the disease is often complicated by the fact that it's frequently misdiagnosed and underreported. The spread of Lyme disease in Europe and America has signalled the need to assess the potential threat to public health."
CIEH chief executive Graham Jukes said: "We strongly urge the Government to raise the profile of Lyme disease. This is a misunderstood disease that can cause untold misery to its victims."
The disease is on the increase because of the warmer, wetter summers caused by global warming. In 2006 there were 768 reported cases, compared with 292 in 2003.
People walking in country areas can guard against the threat by making sure that their arms and legs are covered at all times.
Tucking the bottoms of your trousers into your socks can significantly reduce the risk of a tick attaching itself to your leg.
A Department of Health spokesman said: "Clinicians have ready access to the best Lyme disease diagnostic tests available. Tests are freely available in the NHS.
"A short course of antibiotics is the usual treatment for Lyme disease and this is also freely available.
"It is for primary care trusts to ensure that appropriate services are in place to meet local needs."
Your Say YourDaily Echo
X, Pert says...
8:09pm Sat 12 Jul 08
No! Just a tick.
Bright Spark, Fareham says...
7:13am Sun 13 Jul 08
Lynn Edwards, Southampton says...
8:51am Sun 13 Jul 08
hulla, baloo says...
11:06am Sun 13 Jul 08
southy wrote:I can't figure out what the hell he's rambling on about.
"The disease is on the increase because of the warmer, wetter summers caused by global warming. In 2006 there were 768 reported cases, compared with 292 in 2003"
it miss out the fact that population has increase,and the number of people going to those areas have increase,but they are more willing to blame global warming why lyme disease is on the increase,fail to tell you that in that cold summer of 64 there was 83 cases repored, and also so fail to tell you that a rat tick can carry this disease to,I got warned about it from my doctor back in the early 90's because i was living very close to a river
Although to be fair, I never can.
Fred, says...
11:17am Sun 13 Jul 08
Lynn Edwards wrote:Yes, people stop exercising their pets in the Forest because of these scare stories.
Does anyone know if these can affect our pets?
The Forest is not safe and should be closed to humans. Will no one think of the children?
X, Pert says...
12:23pm Sun 13 Jul 08
Bright Spark wrote:How could I 'nearly complete an entire sentence'? If it is an 'entire' sentence, then by definition, it is complete.
Well done X, Pert ... you nearly completed an entire sentence there.
As sparks go, it would appear that you are not one of the brightest!
Your English teacher, says...
1:19pm Sun 13 Jul 08
X wrote:Re-read you original post. There is a word missing somewhere.
Bright Spark wrote: Well done X, Pert ... you nearly completed an entire sentence there.How could I 'nearly complete an entire sentence'? If it is an 'entire' sentence, then by definition, it is complete. As sparks go, it would appear that you are not one of the brightest!
X, Pert says...
2:07pm Sun 13 Jul 08
Your English and French teacher, says...
3:28pm Sun 13 Jul 08
X wrote:It's touché - I know you hate me even more now.
Touche!
Come on smile - it's fun here.
Tickster, Dorset says...
5:17pm Sun 13 Jul 08
Not everyone develops symptoms right away, and if they don't there is a much higher chance it will develop into hard-to-treat CHRONIC Lyme disease. That is NOT fun or easy to get rid of.
Bright Spark, Fareham says...
5:49pm Sun 13 Jul 08
Your English and French teacher wrote:Turtle's Head!
X wrote: Touche!It's touché - I know you hate me even more now. Come on smile - it's fun here.
Your English teacher, says...
6:04pm Sun 13 Jul 08
Bright Spark wrote:A-nice try at humour!
Your English and French teacher wrote:Turtle's Head!X wrote: Touche!It's touché - I know you hate me even more now. Come on smile - it's fun here.
Peter Travis, Sweden says...
6:34pm Sun 13 Jul 08
I caught Lyme disease in the New Forest where I lived in 1949, though it wasn't identified then.
I now have thirty different conditions caused by Lyme disease.
It has made my life hell throughout so please do not denigrate this article or turn your comments into a Punch and Judy show. Lyme disease is worse than syphilis.
Doctors know little of this disease. It is not a reportable disease. The symptoms are identical to those of severe CFS ME so that no hospital wants to know about it: they have very nice CFS deptartments and don't want CFS diagnosed as Lyme disease.
I would estimate there are up to half a million cases a year based on the population and the prevalence in other countries.
The New Forest is NOT a place I would take children to.
Peter Travis, former student at Sandle Manor, Sandleheath, Fordingbridge, where my life effectively ended at age 8.
andrew, nz says...
11:19pm Sun 13 Jul 08
The servicemen of WWII often picked up ticks in foreign lands.
My late father was a medic in the RAF Regiment during WWII and the standard practice for removing a tick was to burn it off with the end of a cigarette. Pulling a tick off often leaves the head behind. Burning it makes it let go entirely.
But I do see a potential problem here........ these are British ticks. And as for cigarettes......
Call me cynical, but how fortuitous it is for the residents of the Forest. A scary disease rears it's ugly head just as concerns are raised about the invading hordes devastating the area.
Dis Parrot, Nova Scotia says...
12:20am Mon 14 Jul 08
Should it keep you out of the forest - absolutely not, don't be put off by horror stories, be prepared and understand how to minimise the risk
Gilmore, Shirley, Southampton says...
1:45am Mon 14 Jul 08
Go to the New Forest, if you get a tick, burn it off and go to hospital if the bite looks funny. I don't see why we need to be told this by the Echo, surely we've all got common sense?
southy, redbridge says...
2:45pm Mon 14 Jul 08
whitch is total rubbish lyme disease is a temperate and cold zone .yes now you got it, it's them greenies at work again because they lost the arrguement on Malaria when they say we could expect more cases of this,when it was pointed out to them there are more cases of Malaria in the siberian traps than there is in the whole of the tropics put together.
southy, redbridge says...
2:45pm Mon 14 Jul 08
whitch is total rubbish lyme disease is a temperate and cold zone .yes now you got it, it's them greenies at work again because they lost the arrguement on Malaria when they say we could expect more cases of this,when it was pointed out to them there are more cases of Malaria in the siberian traps than there is in the whole of the tropics put together.
X, Pert says...
4:30pm Mon 14 Jul 08
Your English and French teacher wrote:As I don't know how to add the accent, I deserve to be 'ticked' off!
X wrote: Touche!It's touché - I know you hate me even more now. Come on smile - it's fun here.
Smile? I'm laughing my head off!
now in the north, bolton nee southampton says...
5:02pm Mon 14 Jul 08
Foot and mouth, is extraordinarily rare in people, the one recorded case in the uk being unconfirmed by science, yet we slaughtered thousands of livestock 'just in case'. I have yet to see the governemnt demading to see you all slaughtering your pets due to this horrific possibility of outbreak. For now, its juat another edwina-gate story
southy, redbridge says...
5:41pm Mon 14 Jul 08
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southy, redbridge says...
6:38pm Sat 12 Jul 08
it miss out the fact that population has increase,and the number of people going to those areas have increase,but they are more willing to blame global warming why lyme disease is on the increase,fail to tell you that in that cold summer of 64 there was 83 cases repored, and also so fail to tell you that a rat tick can carry this disease to,I got warned about it from my doctor back in the early 90's because i was living very close to a river