This morning on't steam radio there was a long item about Lyme Disease. I bet The Significant Otter 50p that they would blather on about it for 5 minutes but THEY WOULDN'T TELL THE LISTENERS HOW TO AVOID GETTING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. And guess what ... I was right. They never ever do. So I'm going to tell you. Here's the thing ... DON'T WALK THROUGH TALL VEGETATION WITH BARE LEGS. OR BARE ANYTHING FOR THAT MATTER. Lyme Disease is transmitted via ticks,and those ticks lounge around on bracken etc just waiting for some halfwit with bare legs ( and arms too) to stroll past and then they latch onto you, stick in their Lyme Disease Injection Proboscis and you're stuffed. Lyme disease is often poorly detected, and often far too late as well, and you can easily finish up with it for life .... and it can be seriously debilitating. It horryfrys me when I see " nature lovers" and even professional naturalists strolling through bracken ( other tall plants are available) wearing shorts. If you spot them doing "that sort of thing" I encourage you to sing out loud ... " You are thick, and a dick, you're going to get a tick and you'll get the deadly Lyme disease, so put some clothes on quick !" ..that's what I always do. I generally run way sharpish for safety reasons. Are they simply stupid, or is it stupidity + ignorance ... a dodgy combination. I have also, way way back in the life of this blog, advised you about other potential hazards ....... here's a few helpful links .... 19-top-birding-hazards-1-tsunamis.html 36-birding-hazards-2-hypothermia.html 398-hilbre-100-ways-to-read-your-tide-table-wrongly.html Of course, it could be that You Already Know all that... in which case you can go straight to the music bit ... here it is ... Here's an "official" version of what I said,but much more thorough, comprehensive, and wide-ranging ..it doesn't include that excellent song though. ... How to Prevent Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial disease that is transmitted to people via the the bite of infected ticks. Lyme disease is usually treatable using antibiotics, especially if caught quickly; however, as with most disease, an even better option than treatment is prevention. Read on to learn how to avoid catching Lyme disease in the first place. 1 Stay away from places where ticks are likely to be. There are numerous places where ticks thrive in different parts of the world. Contact your the department of health to find out which outdoor spaces near you have tick problems. Avoid places with lots of woods, forest, bushes and grass, especially from late spring-mid summer when ticks are most active. Stay away from overgrown walking trails if possible. 2 Wear protective clothing when going outdoors. Bright/light colored clothes will make it easier to spot ticks. Wear long sleeves, long pants, and socks. Tuck in your shirt, and if possible, tuck your pant legs into your socks. If you are going to spend a great deal of time in a place where ticks are likely to be present in large numbers, use tape to seal the line where your pants meet the socks. This will help prevent the ticks from getting in. You may want to treat your clothes with permethrin. Permethrin will kill any ticks that land on treated clothes. Impregnated permethrin usually lasts a few washings. Do not apply permethrin directly to skin.[1] 3 Protect your skin from ticks with repellent. The CDC recommends using an insect repellent with at least 20-30% DEET on skin and clothing. Make sure that all exposed areas are treated, and repeat treatment as needed.[1] However, a lot of people are against the use of DEET as it is a very strong chemical and it should never be used on children. Other methods for tick protection include: 4 Get ticks off clothing before going indoors. Wash and dry clothing using high heat levels to kill any ticks that you may not have found. 5 Check your skin for ticks after being outside, especially in areas with large tick populations. In addition to exposed skin, check protected areas such as the groin, armpits and scalp. I6 Remove any ticks you find. Use tweezers to carefully remove the tick. Do not use any irritants such as a match, nail polish, petroleum jelly, or other products to remove the tick. [2] Contact your physician after being bitten by a tick to see whether you should take an antibiotic after being bitten by a tick. This is usually not necessary, but may be recommended by your doctor in high-risk cases.[3] 7 Learn the symptoms of Lyme disease. Since you may not always be aware of tick bites, it is a good idea to be able to recognize the Lyme disease symptoms. The symptoms of Lyme disease vary from one person to another. 8 Also. it can help to wash your hair, face, and hands as often as you can. When you get shampoo and soap into your skin, the ticks will fall off quicker than they normally As an extra bonus feature, here's the characteristic "rash" you get after that tick bite.....
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AuthorThat's the author up there ... I was young and sprightly then. Archives
October 2022
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