I am pleased to be able to speak in today’s debate raising awareness of Lyme Disease. It can be devastating to people, and it is vital everybody knows how to prevent its transmission.
In Scotland, there has been a significant increase in the number of cases of Lyme Disease being reported each year.
Lyme disease is an increasing problem and as we enter the warmer summer months it is vital that, alongside our healthcare partners, we do all we can to ensure our constituents are properly informed about its dangers.
One of the few benefits that came out of the Covid Pandemic was that we all took the time to explore everything Scotland has to offer; spending time walking, hiking, and enjoying our beautiful outdoor spaces.
We are so fortunate to have such fantastic rural areas on our doorstep. But with this renewed desire to explore these areas, there has also been a sharp rise in the number of people being bitten by ticks – the main driver of Lyme Disease in Scotland.
Recent research found that almost two thirds of people in Scotland have been either bitten by or know someone who has been bitten by a tick. More concerning than this however is that the same research found that over half of people in Scotland don’t know what to do when bitten by a tick. These are extremely concerning figures and show just how much work we still have to do.
A constituent of mine recently got in touch about her experience of Lyme Disease and I would like to share her story today.
After being bitten by a tick over 30 years ago my constituent suffered flu like symptoms and an expanding bullring rash. After being misdiagnosed numerous times and seeing a range of different specialists it wasn’t until 2018 that she was finally diagnosed with Lyme Disease.
My constituent spent decades facing a wide range of debilitating symptoms before getting the treatment she needed – we must not allow situations like this to happen again.
I was also struck by the case of Rico Franchi publicised by the NHS. Rico is a 40-year-old father of 3 who has lived with Lyme for over 12 years. He went from a super fit gym goer to being completely floored – his lifestyle was significantly disrupted. If it can happen to Rico it can happen to any of us.
There is no cure for chronic Lyme Disease, so we must do three things: Educate people about prevention; improve our testing capabilities; and ensure patients with Lyme get the support they need.
With the warmer summer months just around the corner, it is important at the moment we prioritise the first of these actions: educating people about dealing with tick bites.
- Always check for ticks after spending time in green spaces;
- Carefully remove any as soon as possible; AND
- If you have a red circular rash and flu like symptoms, arrange to see your GP urgently.
We want people to enjoy spending their time in Scotland’s beautiful outdoors, but we also want to make sure they are doing so safely - so that they don’t have to go through what Rico and my constituent did.
Thank you.
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