Visitors warned to bring own medication and tick removers to islands due to limited supplies

Castlebay on the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides. | CC/Evelyn and Robert Wirth.

Visitors to some of Scotland’s islands have been warned to bring all necessary medication with them given limited pharmaceutical services.

The Western Isles NHS health board, which covers the Outer Hebrides, put out the plea this month as tourist numbers have started to increase on the islands.

Due to there being no pharmacies on Uist and Barra, and the nearest one to Harris being in Stornoway, on Lewis, the health board warned supplies for anyone needing daily or regular medication must be covered by the visitor. It also said an extra supply is important given the regular ferry delays and cancellations.

Castlebay on the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides is one of the islands that is not home to a pharmacy | CC/Evelyn and Robert Wirth.

The message also included a warning that GP clinics on the island do not generally provide tick removal services and that visitors should either bring or purchase their own tick remover tools, which are available on the island.

Tick numbers are on the rise in Scotland due to changing climate, research has shown.

The Western Isles' mild oceanic climate creates appropriate conditions for ticks to live and islanders have reported an increase in tick bites over the years. With this comes an increase in the risk of Lyme disease, which can be spread to humans from the bite of infected ticks.

Research has found some of the isles had an incidence of the disease 40 times higher than the Scottish average.

Previous data from NHS Western Isles show that Uist’s rate of Lyme disease infection is the highest of the isles by far.

Deer, who provide a food source for ticks as well as spreading them while roaming, have been blamed for the sky-high numbers of ticks in Uist.

The message from the health board read: “NHS Western Isles is reminding visitors to bring sufficient supplies of any medications they take daily with them on holiday.

“Due to our remote and rural setting, we recommend you bring useful items such as sun cream, a basic first aid kit, over the counter medications that you might need (e.g. pain relief, antihistamines etc), and the date of your last tetanus injection if possible. If visiting during the summer months, midge repellent is advisable.

“If you do require over the counter medication or first aid supplies during your visit, our local shops supply simple over the counter medications such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, plasters, tick removers, midge repellents, etc. Shop opening times may vary, in particular, on Sundays in Lewis and Harris.

“Our community pharmacies in Lewis stock a wide range of over the counter medications and can offer advice and treatment on minor illnesses.”

The message added: “Our GP practices do not ordinarily provide a tick removal service, we recommend using a tick remover tool, which you can purchase from a number of local shops across the island, or bring one with you.”

Communities across the Outer Hebrides and the west coast were recently found to be running low on food supplies after the Co-op, the main supermarket for most rural and island communities, was hit by a cyber attack.

The incident impacted deliveries to the monopoly of stores leading to some shops having to ration popular products including milk.