Tue 31 May 2005

Concern as sheep-tick disease cases soar

JOHN ROSS

HUNDREDS of hillwalkers and rural workers have been struck down by
disease
caused by ticks, which attack humans as well as animals.

Health experts have warned of increases in cases of Lyme disease, with
the
real number thought to be much higher than those reported.

The Ramblers Association has issued safety guidance to its members and
the
Cairngorms National Park Authority is taking action to control ticks.

Dr Darrel Ho-Yen, a Lyme disease specialist based at Raigmore Hospital
in
Inverness, outlined his concerns about an increase in the disease in
the
latest edition of The Field.

He claims that the number of proven cases in Britain should be
multiplied by
ten to take account of "wrongly-diagnosed cases, tests giving false
results,
sufferers who weren't tested, people who are infected but not showing
symptoms, failures to notify and infected individuals who don't consult
a
doctor".

Dr Ho-Yen believes, therefore, that in a year, the number of Scots
infected
with the disease has risen from 430 to 580.

In the UK, the micro-organism causing Lyme disease is carried by the
sheep
tick, the most common, which, despite its name, feeds on deer,
livestock and
other species such as grouse and hare.

Sufferers can get flu-like symptoms such as tiredness and aches, and
more
serious problems such as chronic arthritis.

?2005 Scotsman.com

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://www.***.com/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://www.***.com/