Lyme disase

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by a spiral shaped micro-organism called a spirochete and is spread by tick bites. In Britain the disease infects around 200 people a year and can be fatal in certain circumstances.

Human symptoms of Lyme disease include chills, fever, fatigue, joint and muscle pains, and loss of appetite - even mild musculo-skeletal disturbances. Lyme disease is hard to diagnose in the early stages. Its flu-like symptoms can be caused by many other factors.
After an incubation period of 3 - 30 days one or more skin lesions may develop at the site of the tick bite. Skin lesions appear in 85% of patients and are typically 3 to 68 mm in diameter, red, with a flat border and central clearing. Several antibiotics are effective. Patients treated in the early stages with antibiotics usually recover rapidly and completely. Most patients who are treated in later stages of the disease also respond well to antibiotics. In a few patients who are treated for Lyme disease, symptoms of persisting infection may continue or recur, making additional antibiotic treatment necessary. Varying degrees of permanent damage to joints or the nervous system can develop in patients with late chronic Lyme disease. Typically these are patients in whom Lyme disease was unrecognized in the early stages or for whom the initial treatment was unsuccessful.

Not all ticks carry the disease, but if you avoid tick bites you will avoid the disease. Ticks are prevalent in the Highlands where they are carried by livestock and deer. Some rivers seem particular prone to them e.g the Tummel seems to be good tick country.

The chances of being bitten by a tick can be decreased with a few precautions: