Scottish Highlands Warning

Sorry if I come on a bit scaremongerish but I felt I should post this as a gentle warning and as something to consider if anyone is going off road in the highlands.

A mate of mine is a keen hill walker and was recently on Skye and in the Cairngorms. On both occasions he was infested with deer ticks (as was his walking partner). Neither of them were in cantact with any deer but got the ticks in heather, Their legs and groin areas were covered albeit they did not feel any nipping or biting and only realised when they came off the hill and were showering. Bill's mate failed to remove one of these ticks completely and he developed an infection and reaction which rendered him seriously ill in hospital. Apparently each of the guys had over 30 to 40 ticks on their body. The ticks are black and visible to the eye.

Apparently these mites fall from the deer and are amassed in heathery regions.

I've never heard of this before and Bill's mate might have been a freak accident but it's worth considering if you're off road on the likes of Skye

Lyme disease

And they itch like mad for ages but the main thing to look out for is;

"Lyme Disease Symptoms

The severity of the initial symptoms of Lyme disease remains under some controversy. Some believe the initial infection can occur with minimal or no symptoms. But most infectious disease experts believe that nearly all people experience a flulike primary illness or a characteristic rash several days to a few weeks following a tick bite."

Which is bad enough but a search on Google will uncover lots worse;

"Left untreated, symptoms of the primary illness usually will go away on their own within a few weeks although the rash may recur.


Later, additional symptoms may occur. The organs affected later include the following:


Facial palsy - A paralysis of the facial nerve that causes the facial muscles to be uneven (This may get better without treatment.)


Meningitis - Causes headache, fever, and stiff neck


Nerve inflammation - Causes numbness and tingling in the arms or legs


Brain swelling (encephalitis) - Causes learning difficulties, confusion, and dementia


Intermittent episodes of arthritis - Last about a week and usually involve the knee or wrist (These may recur over periods of weeks to months, and, if the Lyme disease remains untreated, about 10% of people who have these episodes develop persistent arthritis in the knee. Occasionally, people with Lyme disease can present with an acute arthritis in the knee without a clear history of a rash or other joint complaints.)


The heart (carditis) - Resulting in irregularities in heart rhythm "

All bad news, sorry, but it's good to be aware of these things when frollocking in the heather. (keep yer kilt on)

D

My father is president of the local Ramblers and has been sent several warnings about the increase in cases of Lyme disease contracted from ticks in Scotland.
The following advice is from the West Highland Way site but I used to carefully warm them up with a fag end till they got uncomfortable and dropped off.

Ticks feed on blood and may carry Lyme Disease so it is advisable to wear long trousers when you are going through vegetation. At the end of the day check yourself to see if any have attached themselves to you. If they have they can be removed by, taking a pair of tweezers and grasping them firmly where they are attached to the skin. Then gently twist anti-clockwise until the tick is free. Take care to remove the whole tick and not to leave its head in. If you do get tick bites and feel unwell seek medical assistance. The following provides a link to a dedicated Lyme Disease web site. Find out more…

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/lymedisease.htm

I feel slightly awkward introducing mirth into what is a serious thread which provides valuable information but.....

Toddy said:

Facial palsy - A paralysis of the facial nerve that causes the facial muscles to be uneven (This may get better without treatment.)

Brain swelling (encephalitis) - Causes learning difficulties, confusion, and dementia

Intermittent episodes of arthritis - Last about a week and usually involve the knee or wrist

Click to expand...

The facial issue is apparent if you click on OONYACK's Enduro for Africa link and observe his publicity photo.
Worrying.

Those who have any knowledge of OONYACK will have observed all of the characteristics described in point 2.
Deeply worrying.

Could the third point have also included "THE THUMB"?
Worryingly worrying.

The simple cure is take the lager straight and henceforth avoid all mixers/dashes such as Lyme or lime

tick disposal

lots of old wives tales about how to get rid of the littlebuggers, lighted fag, pouring alcohol( they must be mental). these remedies make the tic puke right back into your bloodstream, not a good call. i carry small tweezers & they always seem to do the trick, bloody awkward in between your toes though .

They get in worse places than your toes! And they can survive hot showers for days. Its been a bad year for them. Little b*****ds.
M

Careful when removing these little buggers as it's easy to leave the head behind which is BAD. They breathe through their arses (yes, really) so if you have , say, a tube of vaseline handy (can't think why) simply smear a drop on and they'll let go. May take a little while and meantime you'll feel very unhappy with your lodger. But this is still a better idea than trying to pick them off with your nails. Has anyone seriously tried a cigarette end 2mm from their skin?

Stormchaser said:

Has anyone seriously tried a cigarette end 2mm from their skin?

Click to expand...

My grandfather did, Japan 1945

Al