Caving Illnesses

[alanw]

George Mason University receives over $1.1 million to revolutionize Lyme

George Mason University researchers have received a $1,176,645 grant in federal funding from the U.S. Department of the Army to revolutionize Lyme disease detection and diagnosis with urine

scienmag.com

 

[Ed]

Lymes is becoming a big issue in the Dales, especially for anyone that spends time on the moors or in wooded areas

 

[Pitlamp]

Tuck yer keks into yer socks folks!

 

[paul]

The only time I have knowingly been bitten by a tick was once behind a rubber watch strap and a second time on the belly. Both times were on Dartmoor or Exmoor and I had been sitting on grass and wearing boot and gaters. Little b*stards...

 

[Ali M]

There are plenty of ticks on Mendip. 🙁

 

[Winnat's Caver]

We accidentally camped on what must have been a tick nest in a forest in Dartmoor. I would reach into the grass to take a tent peg out and be met with 6 ticks on my hand. They kept coming almost as quickly as we could get them off. Mental!

 

[Pitlamp]

(Touching wood) I've never been bitten by a tick.
This is because I invested in a tick removal tool as a precaution, so obviously I've never needed it.

Bit like how it never rains for ages when you've bought a fancy new waterproof jacket.

 

[mikem]

They definitely are more attracted to some than others

 

[Duncan Price]

Readers of "Underwater Potholer" will be aware that I was bitten by tick on an intimate part of my anatomy. I have photos (which I won't share) to prove it (though I did share them with a medical friend of mine and they are used in his lecture course on GU medicine).

Our cats often acquire ticks and we have tick removal tools - they bring them into the house in their fur and I found one crawling across the bed sheets at the weekend.

 

[Ali M]

Husband and dog seem to acquire ticks in equal numbers in our household and the tick season seems longer every year. 😖

 

[Alex]

Another reason to wear long trousers.

 

[Ali M]

Another reason to wear long trousers.

They had crawled up his trousers, so tuck your socks in.

 

[alastairgott]

Just found another tick from the weekend. Dodged one by spotting it on my backpack and flicking off, found one crawling on my leg back at the car -flicked off, one was found a couple of hours later on Sunday night. He ran quite fast when I removed him so had to get moving to get him out of a window. Now I’ve found another little bugger hiding in plain sight - where I swear I’ve already checked.

 

[Pitlamp]

Where had you been AG?

 

[mrodoc]

As at least one contributor to ukCaving will tell you, Weil's disease can be hard hitting and kills a couple of people each year in the UK. Lyme's disease is also worth avoiding as it can linger for months.

If it is the same expedition to Mexico, then I think many of the team were hospitalised out there for a while but did recover.

Lyme, Bob, Not Lyme's. Lyme (indirectly named after our local town Lyme Regis) was originally diagnosed after a cluster of

Readers of "Underwater Potholer" will be aware that I was bitten by tick on an intimate part of my anatomy. I have photos (which I won't share) to prove it (though I did share them with a medical friend of mine and they are used in his lecture course on GU medicine).

Our cats often acquire ticks and we have tick removal tools - they bring them into the house in their fur and I found one crawling across the bed sheets at the weekend.

And I similarly have a nice photo of a tick on what my patient told the receptionist was his 'winkle'. Don't misunderstand me when I say that I pulled it off.

 

[amw]

Lots of ticks about at the moment, we do give the dogs a Flea, Tick, and sand fly treatment. Sand flies (Phlebotomine sand flies) not much of a problem in the UK at present, but the dogs travel to the south of France often. I do print my own tick removal tools

Tools!........................................... Ralf and Nala on Sand fly watch at my eldest son's house (Fayence).

 

[alastairgott]

Where had you been AG?

Just under bombardment from the ticks on the Shropshire/welsh border. With excellent company for the whole weekend and met some Shropshire cave and mine club members in one of their lovely mine. (Don’t tell DCC, but the sandstone in there is great).
Sunday was a walk on the hills with si&di, ticks were certainly out in force though.

 

[alanw]

Sand flies (Phlebotomine sand flies) not much of a problem in the UK at present, but the dogs travel to the south of France often.

I came across this in the news yesterday:

Leishmaniasis is one of the tropical diseases that is spreading due to global warming, and features in the World Health Organisation’s list of neglected tropical diseases. It is actually a group of ailments caused by the parasite Leishmania, transmitted by the bite of insects called phlebotomine sandflies.

Leishmaniasis: this neglected tropical disease is spreading fast, and Europe is nowhere near prepared

Climate change is causing this disease to spread in Southern Europe, but governments are doing little to prevent it.

theconversation.com

 

[paul]

Unfortunately ticks seem to be becoming more numerous and also getting more active earlier in the year. I spent some time removing at least half a dozen tiny ticks, not that easy to see, from my arms and legs after walking through bracken in Devon a couple of weeks ago. The small tweezers on some Swiss Army Knives work well for this job. I still have a few small bumps where they had bitten and they stopped being itchy a day or so later. Thankfully with no signs of complications such as Lyme Disease.

 

[alastairgott]

Agreed on the Swiss Army knife there Paul, it was the first place I reached for on Sunday night, my cool box with a Swiss Army knife attached to it.