Academy Bulletins

 

Lyme disease and ticks

Dear Parents,

Because of pupil's trips to Blair house and other country areas the school wants to alert parents to the possibility of acquiring Lyme disease after a bite.

Lyme disease is a relatively new thing in the UK. It is an infection spread by ticks and is now present in many areas of Scotland (and if you believe the Evening News - also in Edinburgh). It is a serious illness if ignored but quite harmless if treated properly.

Advice is this;

1. Insist on a tick inspection every evening when in the countryside.

2. If a tick is noticed - don't panic

3. The tick must be removed but without squeezing its body. If the tick's body is squeezed the infection will be squirted into the person.

It is not easy to remove ticks.. The best method is to use tweezers with very fine pointed tips and to take hold of the tick as near to the person's skin as possible. Then twist and pull. The other method is to take some thread and carefully tie it around the tick as close to the person's skin as possible. Tie as tight as possible and then pull.

Don't use a cigarette or alcohol or any other chemical to kill or sedate the tick.

4. If the tick has been there for less than 24 hours - there is no need to do anything more.

5. If the tick has been there longer than 24 hours - I would recommend a course of antibiotics. However this is something you should discuss with your own GP. There is no urgency to receive treatment.

The first typical sign of Lyme disease is a circle around where the tick was attached. This may not appear for a few weeks. This circle slowly grows larger. The circle is red with a pale middle.

Some doctors advocate doing nothing until signs are seen. Unfortunately not everyone gets the initial warning circle but go on to develop the much more serious problems (skin, joints, heart, nervous system).

Dr Frances Ross - School Doctor