Lauren Anderson, of Broadbridge Heath, said her 22-month-old daughter Imogen was diagnosed with the illness after she was bitten twice by ticks.
The RSPCA worker, 35, said Imogen had a bull’s eye rash on her chest – which can be an early symptom of the disease – before developing a swollen knee.
Lauren added: “It just didn’t go down. You could tell she was in pain. She was waking up in the middle of the night and saying ‘ow, ow’.” (See link for article)
As the UK navigates its way out of some of the restrictions related to COVID-19, there has been a huge surge in the popularity of outdoor summer schools, forest schools and activity programmes planned for the summer months.
In response to this growth of young children and families spending more time outdoors, we’ve been working with our partner, UK award-winning kids clothing brand Kidunk to produce a fun new resource to help children, parents, carers and teachers be better prepared and better aware of Lyme disease.
The Tick Detectives resource
Our factsheet has been designed with input from children so it can appeal to a young audience.
We have tried to deliver the key facts around Lyme disease in a no-nonsense language using engaging colours and imagery that would appeal to a younger audience, but with factual content of use to parents and practitioners.
The ‘Tick Detectives’ fact sheet is available to download from both the Caudwell LymeCo and Kidunk websites. It will also be sent digitally to over 10,000 nursery settings, carers and parents over the coming weeks.
Ultimately, it’s intended the resource will be printed and provided free to schools and outdoor centres across the UK.
This awareness campaign is part of the partnership between Caudwell LymeCo and Kidunk, launched in May of this year. Given our concern around the potential increase in cases of Lyme due to more socialising outside, we want to work with forest schools and nurseries to empower children and parents with knowledge and understanding of Lyme disease in a fun and creative way.
Kidunk’s fab partnerships and contacts allow us to do this and we’re very grateful to have the support. The resource already has the support of forest school practitioners, and we hope it goes some way into educating young people about ticks and how to keep safe.
Pam Houghton, owner of High Meadow Nursery, Lancashire, and Level 3 Forest School Nursery Practitioner said: ‘Children’s safety is of paramount importance to us and this fantastic resource has been shared with parents and staff who have passed on to others with an interest in outdoor activities and learning’.
Download for FREE here
Please feel free to download via the image below, share, and give us your feedback at lymecocharity@caudwell.com.
The resource is also suitable for Beavers, Cubs, and other school age groups.
Public Health England (PHE) can confirm the diagnosis of a case of babesiosis and a probable case of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in England. This is the first record of a UK-acquired case of babesiosis and the second case of TBE being acquired in the UK.
Babesiosis is caused by a parasite which infects red blood cells whilst TBE is a viral infection that affects the central nervous system. Both are rare infections spread by the bite from an infected tick.
Both patients have been transferred to hospital, where they are receiving appropriate treatment and supportive care.
PHE regularly undertakes work to understand the potential risks of tick-borne infections in England. This year, PHE has surveyed sites in Devon close to where the person with babesiosis lives, collecting and testing hundreds of ticks – all tested negative for the parasite which causes babesiosis.
PHE has tested deer blood samples from Hampshire in areas near to where the person with probable TBE lives and they have shown evidence of likely TBE virus infection, which matches similar results found in 2019.
The risk of babesiosis or TBE for the general public is very low. However, a number of infections can develop following a tick bite, including Lyme disease, and there are things we can all do to reduce our risk of being bitten by ticks while enjoying the outdoors this summer.
It is important to ‘be tick aware’ and take precautions to reduce your risk of being bitten by ticks when enjoying green spaces this summer including:
keeping to footpaths and avoiding long grass when out walking
wearing appropriate clothing such as a long-sleeved shirt, and trousers tucked into your socks makes it less likely that a tick will bite and attach
considering the use of repellents containing DEET
making it a habit to carry out a tick check regularly when you’re outdoors and when you get home
if you have been bitten by a tick, it should be removed as soon as possible using fine tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool which is sold by many outdoor stores, vets and pharmacies. Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull upwards slowly and firmly. Once removed, wash your skin with water and soap, and apply an antiseptic cream to the skin around the bite
contact your GP promptly if you begin to feel unwell, remembering to tell them you were bitten by a tick or recently spent time outdoors
Dr Katherine Russell, Consultant in the Emerging Infections and Zoonoses team at PHE, said:
It is important to emphasise that cases of babesiosis and TBE in England are rare and the risk of being infected remains very low. Lyme disease remains the most common tick-borne infection in England.
Ticks are most active between spring and autumn, so it is sensible to take some precautions to avoid being bitten when enjoying the outdoors. Seek medical advice if you start to feel unwell after a tick bite.
Background
About babesiosis
Most people with babesiosis will have either no symptoms or mild symptoms of infection; people with weakened immune systems can become very ill and present with flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle ache, fatigue, and jaundice.
About TBE
Around 2 thirds of people with TBE infections will have no symptoms. For those who develop symptoms, there are often 2 phases. The first is associated with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache and fatigue. This can then progress to a more serious second phase that involves central nervous system, which can lead to meningitis, encephalitis and paralysis.
If you develop flu-like symptoms after being bitten by a tick, visit your GP.
Go to hospital if you:
get a stiff neck and a severe headache
get pain when looking at bright lights
have a seizure (fit)
have a change in behaviour – such as sudden confusion
develop weakness or loss of movement in part of the body
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**Comment**
Authorities really need to stop saying infection is rare. Many doctors don’t know what to look for and many cases go undiagnosed, and therefore unreported. They should just state that it’s been found and refrain from telling people anything about numbers when frankly no one has been keeping track.
And it should be a real heads-up that they do need to start looking for it and recording it when it’s found.
Secondly, Babesia, according to Dr. Horowitz is one of the most tenacious coinfections he deals with and necessitates 9 months to a year of solid treatment. To say that people with Babesia mostly have no symptoms or mild symptoms is asinine because people bitten by a tick and typically getting Lyme in the process CAUSES a weakened immune system.
We know that those infected with multiple things have more severe illness for a longer duration of time. Authorities need to quit soft peddling their comments.
Is it coronavirus or Lyme disease? Similar symptoms could create confusion
Lyme disease, which is caused by bacteria or a parasite in a tick, has a reputation for imitating other conditions.
By Maxine Lipner
Feeling sick with a fever — even a slight one — along with chills, fatigue and achy joints during this pandemic era may all seem to point to the coronavirus, particularly in summer with flu season still months away. But there may be another culprit: Lyme disease.
“Lyme disease is just as common this year as it was last year or the year before,” Dr. Daniel Cameron, a Lyme disease specialist in private practice in Mount Kisco, New York, told TODAY.
What’s more, Lyme disease, which is caused by bacteria or a parasite in a tick, has a reputation for imitating other conditions.
“It triggers cytokines, the inflammatory process, and by triggering the whole natural immune system, it will mimic some other infections that affect the immune system,” Cameron said. When the immune system is working hard to clear the infection, it may cause symptoms very similar to COVID-19. (See link for article)
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**Comment**
Thankfully more articles like this one are getting out there on the similarities between COVID and Lyme.
I caution the reader on some of the comments made by Jones-Lopez.
Tickborne disease has been found in every single state. Looking at maps for Lyme/MSIDS is outdated and inaccurate information. Ticks are everywhere – and spreading disease everywhere.
Tickborne disease can occur in any month – and yes, even in the winter.
TOUCHED BY LYME: House approves increased funding for Lyme disease
By Dorothy Kupcha Leland
July 31, 2020
The House of Representatives today approved a package of spending bills that includes $20 million in Lyme disease funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Fiscal Year 2021 amount represents a 43% increase over CDC Lyme funding from the previous year. The Lyme funding is part of $42 million designated for CDC efforts regarding vector-borne diseases.
Bonnie Crater, of the Center for Lyme Action, sent me the following timeline of what happened to Lyme funding in the past couple of weeks. (Note: a “minibus” bill is when several measures are bundled together to be considered as one item.)
Recap
July 7 The Labor-Health & Human Services appropriations bill included a +$2M increase on the Lyme item to grow that from $14M to $16M in FY21. See page 67 for a chart that shows this.
July 13 The House Appropriations Committee passes Labor HHS appropriations bill and is combined with five other appropriations bills in a “minibus” to be reviewed by the Rules Committee.
July 24 Representatives Chris Smith and Collin Peterson, Co-chairs of the Lyme Caucus, proposed Amendment 13 to increase the Lyme item by $4M.
July 28 Amendment 13 was “made in order” (passed) out of the House Rules Committee for House Floor consideration.
July 29 Amendment 13 was bundled in En bloc #4 and renamed Amendment #289.
July 30 En Bloc #4 was approved by voice vote on the House Floor
July 31 All the approved Amendments and the main Minibus bill were approved by a vote of 217-197.
Now the action on this moves to the Senate. Though Bonnie tells me Senators are unlikely to start work on it until after the election.
Throwing more money at things doesn’t always help, particularly if the money isn’t going toward things that matter. In the case of Lyme/MSIDS, ‘authorities’ have been studying the same things over and over ad nauseam for 40 years with little to show for it. They refuse to even believe that people could be chronically infected as well as infected with numerous pathogens.
Most advocates are aware of this history but continue to think it’s going to change.
In other words, the TBDWG is filled with people who do not believe patients and are unwilling to even listen. They have their own agenda plain and simple.
No– it’s high time we leave these criminals in the dust and fund our own research using independent researchers who don’t belittle patients.
If insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, why does the Lyme community keep attempting to work with liars and criminals who have done nothing positive for them?
Recently I was contacted from a person who has been involved in the Lyme community for far longer than I. This person told me that the HHS is prevented from lobbying so they manipulate patients to lobby FOR HHS. We essentially are their meal-ticket. Meanwhile, they have no accountability and can continue their crony ‘science’ doing whatever they want with no oversight or accountability.
I was told to contact congressman Frank Pallone and demand a hearing on the issues of Lyme BEFORE HHS gets another dime of money.
Here is his contact information:https://pallone.house.gov/contact Similarly to most representatives, you must be a resident to send an email. You can call the numbers listed; however, and speak to an aid.
An example of what to say:
I would like to give a message to Congressman Pallone about Lyme funding.
Due to a long history of CDC corruption which has affected patients and doctors negatively, I demand a hearing before Health and Human Services receives another dime of taxpayer money for Lyme disease research.
There are many important issues that need to be resolved and patients and the doctors treating them need to have confidence that the money will be on issues that matter and that the researchers receiving the money have no conflicts of interest.
We demand and deserve transparent, unbiased research done by those without conflicts of interest. We have waited a long time and all that’s happening is more people are becoming infected with the same dark future ahead of them due to rigged science done by those with an agenda.
Thank you for your time.
This is just an idea, of course, make it your own.
Lauren and Imogen Anderson
