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Alert over rise of 'killer' ticks in Scottish cities
IAN JOHNSTON ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
BLOOD-SUCKING ticks carrying a potentially fatal disease are increasingly moving into Scotland's cities as a result of global warming, campaigners warned yesterday.
In Scotland, the number of cases of Lyme disease - caused by the bacterium borrelia which is spread by insects - has risen from just ten a decade ago to 177 last year.
This can cause muscle pain, serious flu-like symptoms, paralysis, blindness, arthritic, neurological, psychiatric and cardiac problems, and potentially death. A number of other related diseases can also be passed on by ticks.
Cold weather kills the insects or forces them into hibernation, but the recent warm weather in Scotland - as well as a reduction in the use of sheep-dip because of fears over the health effects on humans of the chemicals used - is thought to have resulted in a population increase.
Wendy Fox, chairwoman of the Borreliosis and Associated Disease Awareness UK group, said the tick population appeared to be increasing and spreading into urban areas.
Asked whether ticks were spreading into Scotland's cities, she said: "They are all over the place. Anywhere with good vegetation cover, you will find ticks."
Campaigners trying to raise awareness of the risks said in the countryside people should not wear shorts and should tuck their trousers into their socks. They also said commonly held beliefs about how to safely remove a tick - such as burning it or smothering it with Vaseline - actually increased the chance of getting an infection. The safest way is to use tweezers or a tick-removal tool to grip the insect close to the skin and then pull back without jerking or twisting.
Mrs Fox, a trained zoologist, added: "[In the countryside] use drawstrings on your wrists and a repellent that contains Deet. We don't want to frighten people, [but] I was infected and it's left me paralysed in a wheelchair and registered blind, so it can be very serious."
She said the increasing tick population was probably caused by a number of reasons, including global warming. She added: "Another factor is urban sprawl and people are more involved in outdoor pursuits."
An increase in the numbers of deer, which are favourite hosts for large ticks, and a fall in sheep-dipping, which kills them, were other possible reasons.
Removing a tick as soon as possible minimises the possibility of a disease being transferred. However, their bites are painless and they tend to seek out warm, damp areas such as the groin, armpit and back of the knee, making self-inspection important.
Ticks in southern Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Albania, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, the Baltic states and Russia can also carry encephalitis, a potentially fatal brain disease.
A spokesman for the Tick Alert campaign, which carries a map of affected areas on its website, said: "Travellers and holidaymakers visiting rural areas are at risk from tick bites, but also when spending time in public spaces, including beer gardens, picnic spots and parks and gardens."
IAN JOHNSTON ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
BLOOD-SUCKING ticks carrying a potentially fatal disease are increasingly moving into Scotland's cities as a result of global warming, campaigners warned yesterday.
In Scotland, the number of cases of Lyme disease - caused by the bacterium borrelia which is spread by insects - has risen from just ten a decade ago to 177 last year.
This can cause muscle pain, serious flu-like symptoms, paralysis, blindness, arthritic, neurological, psychiatric and cardiac problems, and potentially death. A number of other related diseases can also be passed on by ticks.
Cold weather kills the insects or forces them into hibernation, but the recent warm weather in Scotland - as well as a reduction in the use of sheep-dip because of fears over the health effects on humans of the chemicals used - is thought to have resulted in a population increase.
Wendy Fox, chairwoman of the Borreliosis and Associated Disease Awareness UK group, said the tick population appeared to be increasing and spreading into urban areas.
Asked whether ticks were spreading into Scotland's cities, she said: "They are all over the place. Anywhere with good vegetation cover, you will find ticks."
Campaigners trying to raise awareness of the risks said in the countryside people should not wear shorts and should tuck their trousers into their socks. They also said commonly held beliefs about how to safely remove a tick - such as burning it or smothering it with Vaseline - actually increased the chance of getting an infection. The safest way is to use tweezers or a tick-removal tool to grip the insect close to the skin and then pull back without jerking or twisting.
Mrs Fox, a trained zoologist, added: "[In the countryside] use drawstrings on your wrists and a repellent that contains Deet. We don't want to frighten people, [but] I was infected and it's left me paralysed in a wheelchair and registered blind, so it can be very serious."
She said the increasing tick population was probably caused by a number of reasons, including global warming. She added: "Another factor is urban sprawl and people are more involved in outdoor pursuits."
An increase in the numbers of deer, which are favourite hosts for large ticks, and a fall in sheep-dipping, which kills them, were other possible reasons.
Removing a tick as soon as possible minimises the possibility of a disease being transferred. However, their bites are painless and they tend to seek out warm, damp areas such as the groin, armpit and back of the knee, making self-inspection important.
Ticks in southern Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Albania, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, the Baltic states and Russia can also carry encephalitis, a potentially fatal brain disease.
A spokesman for the Tick Alert campaign, which carries a map of affected areas on its website, said: "Travellers and holidaymakers visiting rural areas are at risk from tick bites, but also when spending time in public spaces, including beer gardens, picnic spots and parks and gardens."