LYME DISEASE FIGURES UP IN ENGLAND AND WALES

Thursday 14 April 2011

LYME DISEASE FIGURES UP IN ENGLAND AND WALES

The Health Protection Agency is advising people to take care when visiting areas where ticks are present, to prevent tick bites and reduce the risk of catching Lyme disease.

Latest provisional figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show there were 953 laboratory-confirmed cases of Lyme disease reported in England and Wales in 2010. The majority of these cases were acquired in the UK rather than overseas, with two-thirds of cases identified among residents in the South of England.

According to Centres for Disease Control in USA and Dr Ho Yen from HPA in Scotland the actual figure of people infected by Lyme Disease is more likely to be in the region of 10x that of serological positive tested cases so nearly 10000 cases in England and Wales last year. I don't have the figures for Scotland yet.

Advising people on the HPA website to take care of being bitten by a tick is just not good enough more publicity needs to be done by our Health Authorities.

Currently it is the patients and the UK charities that are raising awareness of this debilitating and often painfull disease. Thank you to BADA UK for the latest drive for Tick Bite Prevention Week and for getting information into various newspapers recently including

The Independent 'Lyme disease nearly made me come indoors,' says Ray Mears and

The Daily Mail Survival expert Ray Mears reveals how simple tick bite nearly ended his career

Shame on our Health Protection Agency for their failure to raise public awareness.

4 comments:

Anonymous17 April 2011 at 18:39
I wonder if some people are more prone to tick bites? I discovered a tick this morning on my lower buttock, just at the top of my leg. I was in the garden yesterday morning with long trousers, socks and shoes and a long sleeve blouse. However did the tick get up there? I was diagnosed with Lymes last year and fortunately appear to have recovered but I am now waiting with some trepidation to see how the new bite develops. I have insect repellent but where do I spray as my body was completely covered!I am not looking forward to the summer.
Jane Atkinson Dunsfold surrey
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Joanne17 April 2011 at 22:32
Hi Jane I am sorry to hear you have been bitten again after being in your garden lets hope it wasn't infected but you know to seek medical attention if any symptoms develop.
Sadly I am meeting more and more people who have been infected with Lyme Disease in Surrey so not so rare as HPA would have us believe.
I understand ticks are attracted to some people more than others but really they are just after a blood meal and anything will suffice. Some people are infected and able to remain symptom free for many years others become ill straight away either way it is often a difficult diagnosis. Have a look at Lyme Disease Action website for ways to protect yourself. Also there are things to spray in your garden and on your clothing none are completely tick proof though.
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Anonymous7 September 2011 at 22:52
Hi,
I live in Cranleigh and suspect I have Lyme. I am currently seeing a neurologist and have an appt for a follow up and to receive my blood test results, that were done at my insistence, on 20th Sept. My doctor first referred me with unexplained neurological symptoms and he MRI'd me for MS, then decided it's all anxiety. I have suffered with anxiety previously and I know it is definitely not. I'd love to be able to talk to someone local to discuss my symptoms and hear your experiences about all aspects of Lyme, diagnosis, specialists etc
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Joanne8 September 2011 at 09:31
Hi Anon in Cranleigh you do need to read as much as possible about Lyme because Doctors and Consultants are being told that blood tests are 100% reliable which research shows they are not- and that a couple of weeks antibiotics is adequate to clear Lyme which for many patients are not- I am in touch with about 25 local patients with Chronic Lyme disease and there are now a number of local surgeries realising that this is indeed a problem in our locality.

Wednesday 14th September a group of us will be meeting up at the King's Head pub in Quarry Street 12 noon - very informal just for a natter -do join us if you can. If you want to e mail me my contact details are in my profile.

A good resource to look at is Eurolyme a link in the right hand side of this blog- word of warning use a separate email though as there are many posts daily,

In files on Eurolyme are many very useful articles some of which can also be accessed on the right hand side of this blog.

Good luck- knowledge is your best advocate so that you can discuss with doctors what treatments are best for you.
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Lyme Life written in 2009

I started suffering with arthritis in mainly my large joints especially my knees 6 years ago. The symptoms varied and I remember saying that every joint was affected except my elbows to one doctor. I was told it would be hormonal and to take the usual supplements cod liver oil or glucosamine ( I would certainly recommend buying shares in the companies producing these supplements) They had no noticeable affect.

All my symptoms deteriorated significantly over a few weeks,4 years ago. Hips shoulders and knees being the worst and I started with muscle weakness in upper arms and upper legs. I had difficulty standing and walking across a room. I was unable to walk upstairs and my husband was making plans to convert to a downstairs bedroom. I had seen 5 doctors and 3 Rheumatologists and put on steroids for Poly Myalgia Rheumatica diagnosis. I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.

I have X rays and scans showing signs of osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. ( later note.- the X rays done some years into treatment showed my hands completely normal no signs of inflammation or RA confirming how they felt - normal) I have been retired early from the Civil Service having lost my job not to mention my earning potential. My illness seemed to progress through my body not affecting the same joints left to right at the same time. I had bursitis in left hip, right hip, left elbow. I had synovial thickening in both wrists. At that time I could not lift and hold a magazine so lifting a kettle I could only do if a third full and with two hands. Each joint in my hands fingers feet and toes were affected. I had swallowing difficulties and many other symptoms. None of this describes the endless and awful pain whenever I moved or the tiredness but inability to get quality sleep.

Two years ago my GP gave me Amoxicilin for a sinus/throat/chest infection. All my arthritis symptoms improved. The course ended the symptoms deteriorated I started a second course the symptoms improved. The improvement was more significant than when I had started taking steroids. This led my GP to suspect Lyme Disease. I laughed because we do not travel abroad but she said they had had other cases in the surgery in the early stages of tick bite and Erythma Migrans rash. She said but you have not had a bite. I said oh yes I have I had two on my ankles with rashes, March 05 this was confirmed on her computer when I had seen a locum doctor. My worst symptoms were waking up feeling rigid and having to painfully flex every joint in my body before struggling to get up. The only other time I had experienced this was in May 2003 during a flu like illness like no other I had ever experienced. At that time I had a bite and similar rash on my right foot which lasted like the other rashes about four weeks. I had also consulted the surgery and it was dismissed as a virus. I walked our dog daily in the woods adjacent to our house where the deer roam, prime tick area. Thus started my very lengthy search about Lyme Disease leading me through Lyme Disease Action to a doctor who specialises in this illness. He confirmed my GP's suspicions. I never had a positive blood test but then they are antigen tests and there is much research that shows they are unreliable. In my case the year of steroids and many weeks antibiotics could have affected the results. So with a clinical diagnosis and following ILADS International Lyme and Associated Disease Society guidelines I continued on antibiotics for two years. Both my doctors continued to treat me despite of Health Protection Agency advising against long term antibiotics. I am now nearly 100% recovered I have no pain or muscle weakness. I can walk upstairs something I could not do for three and a half years. I can garden do house work and live a normal life. I still need to pace myself and with only a few months to 60 will not be looking to return to work. Life is such a joy. Sadly there is much controversy about Lyme Disease and doctors in UK are taught that it is so rare. Well where I live in Guildford I have been in contact with a dozen other people with it so perhaps not so rare as HPA would like us to believe. I am in touch with nearly 2000 other patients through a chat line Eurolyme most had been misdiagnosed with several other illnesses. Look at UK charity Lyme Disease Action if you want to read more about this illness. There are many MP's taking an interest in the problems surrounding diagnosis and treatment see above charity links into a recent meeting at the House of Commons.

Thank goodness there are some thinking doctors around who have courageously treated me against opposition and I have made such a miraculous recovery albeit rather a lengthy one. One day there will be many more people who are helped with their chronic illnesses when IDSA starts taking note of what our courageous LLMD’s are doing following ILADS Guidelines.

ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, Poly Myalgia Rheumatica, Arthritis, Bell’s Palsy, MS,MN, ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Heart Block, Stroke, Psychiatric, gastric problems the list is endless. Not all suffering from Lyme Borrelia but how many are even properly assessed for it.

UPDATE

UPDATE 10 January 2012