Campers warned over tick bites as Lyme disease soars

Published on Tuesday 2 June 2009 22:01

CAMPERS planning to holiday in the Highlands have been warned about the risk of contracting serious illness from tick bites – after a dramatic rise in Lyme disease in Scotland last year.

The Tick Alert campaign group said there were 285 cases of Lyme disease in Scotland in 2008, compared with only three recorded cases in 1999.

It warned people holidaying abroad that Tick Borne Encephalitis (TBE) is now endemic in 27 countries.

Camping and outdoor activities increase the risk of being bitten by ticks. The reduction in the number of sheep – which "soak-up" ticks – in the countryside and climate change have been blamed for the rise in the parasite.

Two in every 100 TBE sufferers will die from the disease, Tick Alert said, while there are up to 3,000 Lyme disease cases across the UK every year.

The most common symptom of Lyme disease is a slowly expanding rash, which spreads about five to 14 days after the sufferer is bitten by a tick.

Other symptoms can include fever, headache and fatigue.

Most cases can be treated with antibiotics, but if left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.