Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine studied four London parks and found the ticks in Richmond and Bushy Parks but no evidence of the pests in Wimbledon Common or Hampton Court.
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According to a letter sent to healthcare providers by State Health Officer Dr. Donald E. Williamson, since 2011, the number of Lyme disease cases have increased dramatically from the previous for years.
The daughter of U.S. fashion kingpin Tommy Hilfiger says Lyme disease left her living “like an 80-year-old woman” after doctors failed to discover she had the debilitating illness for 14 years.
“I don’t know if our office is seeing more people with Lyme disease, but we are certainly seeing more patients with tick bites or who believe they have tick bites”, said Brian Stark, D.O., a family physician with UPMC Hamot’s Primary Care Partners in Fairview Township. This creatures are feed on the blood of birds and mammals including humans.
Lyme disease can often be treated effectively if it’s detected early on.
Antibiotics can be used to treat symptoms but they can be ineffective if the disease is not diagnosed quickly enough.
Many people with early-stage Lyme disease develop a distinctive circular rash at the site of the tick bite, usually around 3 to 30 days after being bitten. The affected area of skin will be red and the edges may feel slightly raised. Typically, it’s around 15cm (6 inches) across, but it can be much larger or smaller than this.
Brown said that that section of Berkshire County is “another hotspot for Lyme disease”, and that rates are similar in nearby areas of New York and Connecticut.
Ticks carrying Lyme disease have been found in two popular parks in South London.
“We were told that its not possible that he would have Lyme disease because we don’t have Lyme disease in Alabama” says Wolfe.
If you find an engorged tick on your body, try to remove it using fine-tipped tweezers.
She eventually saw a psychologist who was familiar with Lyme disease, and recognised the symptoms.
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If you are prescribed antibiotics, it’s important to finish the course, even if you are feeling better, because this will help ensure that all the bacteria are killed. It is potentially fatal and there now no vaccine available. “That’s why it is important to take precautions if you plan to walk along a trail or through the woods”.
