New warning on ticks
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A new warning over an early appearance of blood-sucking ticks has been issued to hillwalkers.
Mountain safety experts are advising walkers and climbers with the message "Tick the Munros – just don’t let the Munros tick you!”
Munros are mountains over 3000 feet.
The number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease spread by ticks in the UK had quadrupled in the last 12 years with more than 1,100 people diagnosed with the disease in 2013, the last year for which figures are available.
Blood-sucking ticks have been linked to a rise in Lyme disease in Scotland in the past 10 years.
According to NHS Highland, between 2001 and 2010 the number of cases of the potentially deadly disease, which is passed on by infected ticks most often picked up on rough ground, soared from 28 to 308.
The disease – a chronic bacterial infection – can affect organs including the heart and brain. Although usually treatable by antibiotics, it was linked to the death of 44-year-old gamekeeper Scott Beattie, head stalker at the Wyvis Estate in Ross-shire, who died in December 2012.
Untreated tick bites can result in neurological problems and joint pain months or years later.
Ticks are particularly suited to mild damp climates and therefore thrive on the west coast mountain regions of Scotland.
Heather Morning the Mountain Safety Advisor with The Mountaineering Council of Scotland is advising hill-goers to check themselves carefully after a day on the hill to ensure they haven’t picked up any unwanted guests.
For even after the cold and snowy spring time of 2016, the wee beasties seem to be out in force.
Ms Morningsaid: “Last weekend we were climbing at Duntelchaig, near Loch Ness. At home later, we noticed several ticks on our feet and since then have found several latched onto our bodies even though we had checked ourselves when we got home. The dog didn’t escape either; we have been removing ticks from her for several days now.”
She recommends that hill walkers take some simple precautions such as tucking trousers into socks or wearing gaiters when on the hill. It’s also well worth taking a good look at yourself when you return home to spot the ticks before they latch on.
“From experience, they seem to appear even a few days later. If you find one attached to you, remove with a tick hook. If in doubt seek advice from your doctor," added Ms Morning.
Scientists in October revealed they had discovered a new illness similar to Lyme disease, spread by ticks and resistant to antibiotics.
It raises fears about growing numbers of people succumbing to debilitating symptoms.
Like Lyme disease, the new disease causes headache, fatigue and muscle aches, along with a recurrent fever which returns despite initially appearing to have been cured.
The new illness is carried by bacteria called Borrelia miyamotoi, which is feared to be less responsive to antibiotic treatment than other tick-borne diseases.
Borrelia miyamotoi has been found to be present in ticks in the UK by researchers at the Public Health Lab, in Porton Down, Wiltshire.
The bacterium was found in 3 of 954 ticks tested at various sites across southern England and analysed by the team in 2014.
As yet there have been no reports of the disease being spread to humans in the UK, but it has infected people in the United States, with 18 patients diagnosed with the disease in 2013.
There are now concerns that the appearance of the new disease in Britain will lead to confusion in the diagnoses of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.
It could also be mistaken for flu, leading to a delay in proper treatment being administered.
