Lyme disease

Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by the Borrelia bacteria and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks. While working in your forest or on the farm, avoid bare skin by wearing long-sleeved trousers, shirts, socks and use a DEET-based insect repellent. Afterwards, check yourself over to see if you have been bitten by a tick. Areas such as armpits, groin, backs of the knees, etc. need careful attention.

If you have been bitten by a tick, record the date and location of the tick bite on your body as symptoms may not manifest themselves immediately. Carefully remove the tick using tweezers and disinfect the bite.

Avoid tick bites but if you are bitten, get it checked out by your GP. Also, if you have symptoms you can’t explain, mention Lyme disease to your GP as it can be a difficult disease to diagnose correctly.

The most common sign of infection is an expanding area of redness that begins at the site of a tick bite about a week after it has occurred. The rash is typically neither itchy nor painful. You may or may not develop a ‘bull’s eye rash’. Other early symptoms include fever, headache and tiredness. If untreated, symptoms can progress to loss of the ability to move one or both sides of the face, joint pains and/or severe headaches with neck stiffness.

Lyme disease can be debilitating - take it seriously!

Further reading

• HSE website: Lyme disease (external link)