Who, What, Why: How dangerous are tick bites in the UK?

[Paulatic]

If there are sheep then there are usually fewer ticks. The sheep are treated for ticks and therefore reduces the population. Because of many factors pour on and injectable treatments are used over traditional dips. These newer products although kinder to operators and the environment don't appear to kill ticks for as long.
Some estates have had to reintroduce sheep with the sole purpose of mopping up the ticks.

[Psamathe]

Deer country = ticks.

My hedgehog even has a few! (though neighbours scared the hedgehog away now so, lost hedgehog had quite a few ticks).

what did we do as kids running around bare legged and arms. did we get them then? or do they only like adults? or are they a new thing? puzzled. makes me almost frightened to go walking in the woods.

One possibility I have no idea about is whether a higher %age of ticks carry nasty diseases these days (than they used to), effectively making them a bit more of a risk.

Alternatively, just a matter of public information. Many people these days seem to like to isolate themselves from the natural world, regarding anything that might bite them as a "real danger". Which reminds me of the "As Kids ..." thing that does the rounds periodically (the "Congratulations To All The Kids Who Were Born In The 1940's, 50's, 60's and 70's").

Ian

[Sweep]

If there are sheep then there are usually fewer ticks. The sheep are treated for ticks and therefore reduces the population..

Is this true?

I stress that I'm askimg, not critisicing.

The reason I ask is that folks in Sardinia, where there are a lot of sheep, have told me about the tick threat and I seem to remember told me that sheep are a big part of the problem, in that they "house" the ticks. And a lot of sheep in Sardinia.

I stress again that I'm not critisiscing you - and Italians can be alarmist on health issues in my experience.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Dartmoor has lots of sheep, and I have experienced ticks on me on my partner on my dogs (dogs treated so ticks drop off in car in house etc,)
also lots of bracken to hide and then they attatch as animals / people brush by .

I had three on me one night after working in someones van He must of moved animals in the van
Walking through bracken Dartmoor with shorts, teaming with ticks but they dropped off quick as I sprayed my legs before hand with insect repelant.
Wild camping one on my chest.
Sat down one day after chasing off sheep from verge on Dartmoor, later I pulled one from my chest.
Crouching down in bracken on Dartmoor, these (100+) on buttocks, were so small you needed a magnifying glass to see them.

We know that they are becoming more resistant to treatment, wonder how farmers get on

[Paulatic]

Sheep born in a tick area can live in a tick area. Sheep born out with and moved in can get tick diseases.
Years ago we dipped twice for ticks, spring and autumn coinciding with the rise. This was over and above fly dip in the summer. The chemicals used then were real killers, I think my health can testify to that. Therefore it is killing ticks. If the host is purely deer or Hares they are not treated, apart from a few shot, so ticks on them are left to live.
This is the reason some of the sporting estates in Scotland have reintroduced sheep. I worked with sheep for 40yrs and never once picked up a tick. The fogs would pick them up most often if we had been getting stray sheep out of forestry areas.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Are you saying that because of sheep, any getting on them will die
So less ticks to bite me, and with out the sheep we will have more ticks

[TonyR]

what did we do as kids running around bare legged and arms. did we get them then? or do they only like adults?

I got them when I was a kid but I think Lyme's disease in the UK is more recent.

[pjclinch]

My sister in law has, or rather probably has, Lymes. The test can give false negatives, and in fact came up negative on a flat-mate who had the traditional ring-rash around a bite. For my sister in law it may have been mis-diagnosed as MS... which shows that it won't kill you, but can certainly cramp your style a lot.

A couple of folk I know have had it but caught it early (flat-mate mentioned above included) and with a suitable course of antibiotics had it crunched apparently completely. Catch ticks early if you can, and if you get flu-like and tiredness after bites take it seriously. I've had loads over the years, I've never had any after-effects. Tick bites aren't sentences of disease, but it does pay to minimise your exposure without having to go so far as abandoning the outdoors.

Pete.

[mercalia]

I wonder if this thread should be saved as a sticky not to be lost in this cycle camping forum? I wonder how many people like me never knew this? and it seems like a serious threat?

[Paulatic]

Hi,
Are you saying that because of sheep, any getting on them will die
So less ticks to bite me, and with out the sheep we will have more ticks

Only the ticks which are on the sheep the day they are dipped and for the period the treatment is effective. This effective period will vary as to the product used. So for example a treated sheep can carry on killing ticks which bite that sheep for another 4to 6 weeks.

[jamesgilbert]

what did we do as kids running around bare legged and arms. did we get them then? or do they only like adults?

I got them when I was a kid but I think Lyme's disease in the UK is more recent.

This seems unlikely if this reference from the Wikipedia Lyme disease article is accurate: http://news.discovery.com/human/health/ ... 140529.htm

[TonyR]

I got them when I was a kid but I think Lyme's disease in the UK is more recent.

This seems unlikely if this reference from the Wikipedia Lyme disease article is accurate: http://news.discovery.com/human/health/ ... 140529.htm

The bacteria responsible may be 20 million years old but it was only identified as a disease in 1975. In 1990 there were 19 cases reported in the UK, in 2010 953. So it is a relatively new phenomenon even though Otzi the Iceman had it.

[jamesgilbert]

Voluntary reporting in the UK was only introduced in 1986, so it's not surprising that early on not many cases were being reported as GPs simply didn't know much about the disease.

This Public Health England document ( https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... rveillance ) has the following to say:

Laboratory-confirmed reports of Lyme borreliosis have risen steadily since reporting began in 1986. Several factors have contributed to the increase: increased awareness of the disease, greater access to diagnostic facilities, more sensitive diagnostic methods, the introduction of the enhanced surveillance scheme in late 1996, and more complete reporting of cases since 2000. Other factors that may have contributed in part to the observed increase in LB include changes in population sizes and geographical ranges of I. ricinus ticks both in the UK and throughout Europe as a result of successive mild winters, increased recreational travel to high endemic areas, and the increasing popularity of activity holidays such as walking, trekking, and mountain biking in the UK and abroad. In recent years, migrants from central and eastern European countries (regions with high prevalence of Lyme borreliosis) have also contributed to higher incidence of infection identified (but not necessarily acquired) in the UK.

[mercalia]

here is a nice video from the discovery channel, mainly referring to the US but still interesting.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/videos/animals-ticks-bloodsucking-ninjas-of-summer.htm

[mercalia]

says the Evening Standard today in a double page spread, and gives some interesting stats -

3000 a year infected incl John Caudwell the founder of Phones 4U

Seems like the royal parks with the deer a place to be careful in.

I wonder why mention now at this time of the year? Should have been at the start of summer? Unless the papers wants to send fear thru all the people who went around bare armed and legs int he royal parks over the summer?