Raising awareness of health issues relating to ticks and Lyme disease is the aim of a seminar being held in Benbecula tomorrow.
he Western Isles account for more confirmed cases of Lyme disease than any other part of the UK and it is more prevelant in the Uists, particularly in grasslands populated by deer.
Between 2010 and 2013, there were 33 confirmed cases of Lyme disease in the Western Isles, with around six confirmed cases in 2016 alone. The UK national average is 1,200 cases.
► Call for deer cull to combat spread of Lyme disease
NHS Western Isles, supported by the Scottish Health Protection Network (SHPN), are hosting the event which is of particular interest to a wide range of practitioners involved in the public health aspects of ticks and Lyme disease including public health professionals, land management staff, ecologists, animal health professionals, environmental health professionals and clinicians.
Dr Maggie Watts, Director of Public Health, NHS Western Isles, said: “I am looking
forward to working with national experts to reduce the problems caused by ticks throughout
the Outer Hebrides.”
Ticks and Lyme disease seminar
10 August 2017