Tick bite laid me low and it took a long time to get back on track

Runner Neil Burnside was in training and hoping to take part in the Commonwealth Games when he was struck with Lyme disease, leaving him feeling extremely ill and exhausted.

It took eight months for the 26-year-old to be diagnosed and to get treatment to tackle the illness. Mr Burnside and campaigners are now calling for greater awareness of the condition at the start of Tick Bite Prevention Week.

Recent research has found that problems with Lyme disease - known officially as Lyme borreliosis - are spreading south in Scotland from the usual hotspots in the Highlands, with rising cases in the Tayside region.

And figures from the Health Protection Agency suggest 3,000 people a year in the UK contract Lyme disease from an infected tick. Because the symptoms of the condition can be similar to other illnesses such as flu, and because many doctors have never seen a case of Lyme disease, sufferers can wait months to be diagnosed and get treatment.

Mr Burnside, who lives in Edinburgh, was diagnosed with Lyme disease in July 2009, having suffered symptoms for eight months. The runner, who had been hoping to qualify to take part in the 800 metres at last year's Commonwealth Games in Dehli, said at first he thought his symptoms could be down to over-training. But they continued to worsen.

"I had really heavy flu-like symptoms and I was getting really knocked out and found it really difficult to even get out of bed some mornings," he said.

"I was physically incapable of doing things and could only concentrate for very short periods of time. I just felt horrible."

Mr Burnside, who now works at the Centre for Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage in Edinburgh, saw his GP and hospital specialists on numerous occasions, having many blood tests. But these failed to show what was wrong with him.

"They were saying according to all the tests you're fine, but it was getting to the point where they were starting to look at the psychological aspects rather than the physical," he said.

"I was on the verge of being referred to a psychologist. That does not help when you are feeling rubbish anyway to be told maybe it's mental."

But later, through some friends in Dundee, his case came to the attention of Scottish athletics champion Liz McColgan. She directed him to a private doctor who diagnosed Lyme disease.He was then prescribed antibiotics.

Mr Burnside is not sure where he might have picked up the condition, but a visit to New Zealand where he ran in grassy areas - where ticks are found - and also during training runs in Scotland, could have been the source.

He said it was vital that people were more aware of the risks from tick bites, as well as knowing the symptoms of Lyme disease to improve diagnosis.

"A real problem is lack of awareness. I clocked up so many hours speaking to health care professionals and getting tests done.

"If people were more aware of it, I imagine it would have been identified early."

Campaign groups BADA-UK (Borreliosis and Associated Diseases Awareness UK) and Lyme Disease Action have also called for greater awareness of the risks from ticks and the need to diagnose the disease early.

Stella Huyshe-Shires, chairman of Lyme Disease Action, said while awareness was increasing, it was still not high among doctors.

SIGNS OF THE LYME

Lyme disease is caused by a bite from an infected tick, and these are found in gardens, woods, parks and moors across the UK.

Symptoms include extreme fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headache and a circular rash.

If someone spots a tick attached to their skin, it should be removed as soon as possible using a special tick-removal tool or fine tweezers.

They should not be removed by pulling with fingers, burning or covering with chemicals and creams. If the tick is put under pressure, it may pump its saliva and stomach contents into the skin, increasing the chances of infection.