Huge tick

The other day I heard that a friend of mine had actually been ill for months and what was the cause of this illness ……… a tick!

It appears that way back in the summer she had been out for a country walk and unbeknown to her she must have inadvertently picked up a tick. I am told they are often found close to where deers graze and these were very commonplace in this area.

Some weeks later she started to feel really ill with unexplained weakness in her limbs and terrible fatigue. She was eventually admitted to hospital and finally diagnosed after many tests with Lyme disease.

This is a bacterial infection which can be passed to humans by ticks as they feed on your blood. If left with out treatment it can infect the heart, joints and nervous system.

Apparently they are very small sometimes just the size of a poppy seed and can be easily missed. If a tick is found and taken off quickly there is a very low risk of infection. A bite will just look like a small lump with a scab on the skin at the site of the bite. Then usually a rash develops in the shape of a ring and this indicates a sign of infection. There are other signs including headache, lethargy, joint pain and flu symptoms.

This can often last weeks or even longer and sometimes they can even occur several years later. This is why early detection will help to ease the symptoms and then shorten the illness.

The Health Protection Agency reported 768 cases of Lyme disease throughout the UK in 2006. This figure could definitely increase as the tick population is on the getting bigger. The peak times for tick bites are in the late spring, summer and autumn.

It is really important to be aware of the these signs and be vigilant especially where children are concerned when on country walks. If however you are unfortunate enough to have a problem with ticks there are expert pest control companies who will able to give advice as to the best pest repeller for this problem.

 

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