Public Health - March 2013 Tick bite awareness week 24-30 th March.
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Transcript of Public Health - March 2013 Tick bite awareness week 24-30 th March.
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Public Health - March 2013
Tick bite awareness week 24-30th March
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What are ticks?
• Small blood sucking arthropods, related to spiders, mites and scorpions. They do not fly or jump.
• In Britain, there are about 20 species of tick, each preferring to feed on the blood of different animal hosts. There are over 800 worldwide.
• If given the opportunity, some will feed on human blood too. • There are 4 stages the life cycle of the tick:
– Egg, larva, nymph and adult.
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Life cycle of the tick
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What do they look like?
An engorged adult, having fed on a host.
Adult down to nymph, measured in centimetres. A typical female is 2.5mm in length.
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Where do you find them?
• Ticks are more common from April to October. However, bites can occur all the year round.
• They are more prevalent in rural areas, such as forests, woods and grassland, but can also be active in urban parklands and gardens.
• Ticks like warm areas on the body, such as the groin, armpits and scalp. The back of the knee, waist and buttocks are also favourite spots.
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Can they affect your health?(1)
• Ticks can carry and transmit diseases.• Lyme disease ( also known as Lyme borreliosis or Borreliosis) is
one such disease.• Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the
UK.• Lyme disease can affect the nervous system, joints and heart
for example, and can produce a range of symptoms.
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Can they affect your health?(2)
• Incubation period from infection to onset of symptoms can vary from a few days to a few weeks.
• An expanding rash is often the first sign of infection.
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Other symptoms:
• Flu-like symptoms, such as swollen lymph nodes, headache, tiredness and muscle aches.
• Left untreated,, symptoms of the initial illness may go away on their own. In some people, the infection can spread to other parts of the body.
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How common is Lyme disease?
Reported cases of infection during 2011 in comparison with some other areas
Region Acquired in UK Acquired abroad Total
Wales 5 4 9
London 45 43 88
South East 336 70 406
South West 242 23 265
England and Wales
762 197 959
Source: Health Protection Agency
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How can ticks be avoided?(1) Whether you are just walking the dog or going on holiday, be prepared:
o Invest in some tweezers, that can be obtained from your local
vet, chain pet stores or on the internet;
oUse repellent
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How can ticks be avoided? (2)
• When out walking, wear suitable clothing: use gaiters, or tuck long trousers into socks and choose clothes with elstic or drawstrings at the waist, wrist and ankle to help deter ticks from crawling under clothes.
• Clothing made from smooth or waxed material make it harder for ticks to attach themselves or climb.
• Wearing light coloured clothing and using light coloured picnic rugs makes it easier to see them.
• Walk in the middle of paths, avoiding overhanging plants at the edge of the paths where ticks will lurk.
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How can ticks be avoided?(3)
• Deter ticks from gardens. Ticks like humid environments and tend to avoid sunny, dry areas.– Keep leaf litter to a minimum;– Keep grass short and cut back over hanging vegetation on
the edge of paths;– Divide lawns from shrub areas with wood chips or gravel.– Keep seating and play areas away from borders, trees and
bird feeders.– Use fencing to divide gardens from deer habitat.
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Useful addresses and websites (1)
• Lyme Disease Action,• PO Box 235,• Penryn• TR10 8WZ
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Useful addresses and websites(2)
• http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk
• http://wwwnhs.uk/Conditions/Lyme -disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx
• Treatment:• http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/LymeDisease/Gui
delines/