Tick, Tick, Boom!

Charlie Gilmour suggests ticks are 'on the march'. The UK Health Security Agency has, for example, recorded a steady annual increase of more than 3% in that country. UK ticks are no longer limited to a few woodland 'hotspots' but are now found in any major London park etc. They are now inhabit anywhere, with grass and mammals to bite (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/apr/07/id-never-been-bitten-by-a-tick-before-why-the-little-blood-sucking-pest-is-getting-us-into-a-panic). Some ticks carry the Borellia bacterium, causing Lyme disease. Worryingly, infected ticks have higher fat reserves, than uninfected counterparts. They are also better at surviving temperature extremes, as well as being more likely to bite. Lyme disease can be extremely debilitatng. Folk in the UK are being urged to carefully check for biting ticks, after their activities in fields and woodland. They are also urged to get early treatment with antibiotics, after being bitten. Climate change appears to be facilitating the spread and survival of these (and other) disease vectors. This is something that will require widespread re-education of the general population in the UK.