Why birders might be well advised to carry a pair of tweezers during spring and summer

                                                              

Off it comes - removing a tick with tweezers 

 BEWARE the peril of tick bites!

This warning has been sounded after the revelation that a case of  tick-borne encephalitis was identified last year in Yorkshire.

The virus has also been detected previously in the Hampshire/ Dorset area  and on the Norfolk/ Suffolk border,

However, according  to the UK Health Security Agency, it may also be present elsewhere as the tick species that carries the virus is widespread in the UK.

Encephalitis virus (TBEV) ranges from being asymptomatic infection to mild flu-like illness to severe infection in the central nervous system such as meningitis or encephalitis. 

Symptoms can include a high fever with headache, neck stiffness, confusion or reduced consciousness.

Ticks can carry other diseases such as Lyme disease - a bacterial infection which can be treated with antibiotics - so UKHSA is reminding the public to check themselves for ticks after they have been outdoors and remove them promptly and correctly if they are found.

Says Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at the agency, UKHSA: "Our surveillance suggests that tick-borne encephalitis virus is very uncommon in the UK and that the risk to the general population is very low." 

Notwithstanding, birders are more at risk than most from being bitten because of  the amount of time they spend in habitats such as moorland, grassland  and woodland which are also favoured by ticks.  

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Public Health England comments: 

"Tick numbers are increasing largely due to the increase in deer which carry them.

"Deer are also. moving into urban areas and now becoming a more common feature in gardens - they are bringing ticks with them.

She continues: "We have about 20 species in the UK and most of them feed on specific wild animals like bats, woodland birds, badgers and foxes, but some feed on dogs

"They  spend the majority of their three-year life in the leaf litter, trying to avoid drying out. 

"Periodically, when the conditions are right, they climb up the vegetation and ‘quest’ for animals. 

"They can sense the carbon dioxide we breathe out, the vibrations we make as we walk and our heat."

If  a tick swoops, the advice is to remove it as quickly as possible with a pair of tweezers,

Wearing shorts increases vulnerability, and it is best to keep as much skin as possible, including the hairline, covered.

 (47) Health : Watch out ticks about! - YouTube

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