UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => news => Topic started by: Tick Alert on June 18, 2012, 02:53:01 pm
-
Outdoor enthusiasts are being warned about a tick disease in Europe this summer.
The website Tickalert.org has updated its information with more detailed maps of 27 Tick-borne Encephalitis (TBE) endemic countries in Europe and profiles of risk areas for a range of outdoor sports and activities such as hiking, climbing, camping, cycling, mountain biking and horse riding.
Its TBE Travel Check online tool also helps travellers to find out if they might at risk of the disease because of where they are going and outdoor activities planned.
TBE is transmitted within minutes from the bite of an infected tick and causes an average of 13,000 cases needing hospital treatment in Europe and Russia every year. Up to 30% of patients suffer meningitis and in extreme cases it leads to encephalitis (brain swelling) and inflammation of the spinal cord. Two in every hundred people die from the disease.
Ticks lie in wait and crawl unnoticed to a nice warm spot on your body, usually the groin although the armpit is another favourite feeding place. Underwear offers little protection against these blood-sucking pests.
People spending time in the countryside, especially if they are sleeping or walking a lot in grassy areas and undergrowth, need to regularly check their body for ticks and remove any immediately as the moment the tick bites there is the risk you will contract TBE.
Further information on the TBE endemic regions of Europe and latest advice for travellers is available at the website tickalert.org
-
Bit more info following a brief panic last year:
The Frankenjura is an encephalitis area and the chances of getting bitten at a crag is pretty high in season (I got two last summer in 2 weeks). Not all ticks carry the disease, and I've never known anyone get it, but the locals are all immunised against TBE. You can get immunised at a travel clinic for about £60, but you must be immunised a few weeks (can't remember how many) before travel.
-
Bit more info following a brief panic last year:
The Frankenjura is an encephalitis area and the chances of getting bitten at a crag is pretty high in season (I got two last summer in 2 weeks). Not all ticks carry the disease, and I've never known anyone get it, but the locals are all immunised against TBE. You can get immunised at a travel clinic for about £60, but you must be immunised a few weeks (can't remember how many) before travel.
Any idea how long the jab lasts Ru? Might be worth a shot for £60 ('scuse the pun..)
-
Any idea how long the jab lasts Ru? Might be worth a shot for £60 ('scuse the pun..)
What I and my family had, and is normal over here, was a series of three jabs, the first two within a few weeks of each other and the third a few months later. Boosters then every three years for kids, five years for adults.
There was a big scare, and therefore a big shortage of the vaccine, a few years ago but it seems to be no problem now.
-
I'm headed to the Frankenjura in a week or so, now I'm worried about ticks... is this high season? I'm too late for the jabs so will just have to be sensible with checks etc.
-
Don't know about Frankenjura but there seems to be fewer here than there was a couple of months ago. Is the risk of tick borne disease higher in Europe than in the UK? Wear long trousers and tuck them into your socks when your not climbing and on the approach. Make sure you have a decent removal tool and check yourself thoroughly directly after each session.
-
Don't know about Frankenjura but there seems to be fewer here than there was a couple of months ago. Is the risk of tick borne disease higher in Europe than in the UK? Wear long trousers and tuck them into your socks when your not climbing and on the approach. Make sure you have a decent removal tool and check yourself thoroughly directly after each session.
Ta. You should come meet us, Jim (Ram coming too potentially). You appear to be less-broken now.
-
Don't know about Frankenjura but there seems to be fewer here than there was a couple of months ago. Is the risk of tick borne disease higher in Europe than in the UK? Wear long trousers and tuck them into your socks when your not climbing and on the approach. Make sure you have a decent removal tool and check yourself thoroughly directly after each session.
Ta. You should come meet us, Jim (Ram coming too potentially). You appear to be less-broken now.
Fully repaired mate. First time on an 8 since since April last year a couple of days ago. Fingers crossed everything holds together. Will PM you.
-
I had a scare a few weeks ago where I had a couple of days of very bad fatigue and aches. Before that I had been bitten by a lot of ticks over here in Austria so I read into Lymes and TBE. After reading about the potential outcome of the latter I really panicked in case I had contracted that. I even saw a huge billboard by the main road advising people to get the vaccine and realised they were taking it relatively seriously. Anyway, the doctor didn't seem too concerned and was even reluctant to do a blood test (I also had to pay extra to test for TBE). Thankfully, the blood test came back normal and I tested negative for TBE. I also had the first two vaccinations within a three week period and will have another one in spring next year. That should be it for 5 years then. Apparently the number of TBE infections is increasing every year. It is still relatively low, even as a percentage of the exposed population. In Tirol 100 people contracted it last year where 60% were men over 55.
The number of ticks here was insane in spring and early summer. I was getting at least one nearly every time I went out. They seem to have decreased now though which is good and I haven't had one for a few weeks. This might be due to cooler and more unsettled weather making hatching conditions worse, I am not sure.
I still don't know what caused the fatigue I had. It definitely felt unusual and I definitely felt a bit "post-viral" for a few days. I have not had a repeat of it since so hopefully it was nothing to be worried about. Interestingly a person I know had an extensive blood screening and they found that they had had Lymes disease at some point although they never realised it themselves.
-
The brother of a friend had a very severe case of Lyme Disease, from a tick bite in the Frankenjura (iirc possibly exacerbated by a reaction to medication). He had chronic fatigue type symptoms for more than a year afterwards - lost a lot of weight and had to take a lot of time off work and any arduous exercise.
-
The number of ticks here was insane in spring and early summer. I was getting at least one nearly every time I went out. They seem to have decreased now though which is good and I haven't had one for a few weeks. This might be due to cooler and more unsettled weather making hatching conditions worse, I am not sure.
+1
I had about 20 bites during late March to early May plus loads of hikers (about 15 after one session). I've only had 1 or 2 since though I have been more vigilant. I think the hatching conditions idea is probably accurate because they seem to get worse during long dry and warm spells.
-
(Poss wrong thread caveat)
SCIENCE shows as it gets warmer - ticks prefer humans to dogs.
Experimental set up is a cage containing a dog, a human and a load of ticks - then see who gets the most....
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/nov/16/study-finds-ticks-choose-humans-over-dogs-when-temperature-rises?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
-
Well, I managed to pick up a shed load of Tick bites during an overnight Bivi on Dartmoor, this week.
We’d bivi’d in the woods alongside Becka Brook between Hound Tor and Smallacombe.
I never react to insect bites, it pisses Mrs OMM off no end, that I can sit in a cloud of midges/mozzies and apparently not get bitten, whilst she’s leaping around in a red ,swollen, hellish agony etc etc...
Anyway, I wasn’t fast enough changing to long trousers etc after coming down off the hills. Realised the next day that I had bites all over my legs, but assumed I was having an unusual (for me) reaction to midge bites. Yesterday, three days, many hot tub sessions, showers and a day at Splashdown water park later; I felt a nip at the back of my heel, reached to scratch it and came away with a Tick on my finger.
The bite immediately swelled over a 40mm diameter area, red at first, turning to a dark bruise within a couple of hours.
Mrs OMM badgered me to call the out of hours GP, which turned out to be massively overloaded, so no call back until today.
Anyway, today, bruise had turned yellow already, but bite was swollen and had a lovely, clear, red ring around it. I feel like shit.
Got a call back from the GP about an hour ago, was in the hospital 45 minutes later and have been told there’s no need for serology, it’s a classic presentation (albeit a bit bloody rapid) and am now sat in the car with a three week course of Doxycycline...
Oddly, the 20/30 other bites don’t present as badly, just the one I copped yesterday.
-
Hope you feel better soon!
-
Shit Matt - that sounds grim - hope the meds do the job.
-
Not good dude. Hope the meds do the job. We've got incredibly anal about thorough checking (in both senses of the word) after any time outdoors.
-
Nasty! Hope you feel better soon.
Are you sure the other bites are from ticks? It's usual for ticks to stay on for 2-3 days if undisturbed before dropping off.
-
Well, I managed to pick up a shed load of Tick bites during an overnight Bivi on Dartmoor, this week.
We’d bivi’d in the woods alongside Becka Brook between Hound Tor and Smallacombe.
I never react to insect bites, it pisses Mrs OMM off no end, that I can sit in a cloud of midges/mozzies and apparently not get bitten, whilst she’s leaping around in a red ,swollen, hellish agony etc etc...
Anyway, I wasn’t fast enough changing to long trousers etc after coming down off the hills. Realised the next day that I had bites all over my legs, but assumed I was having an unusual (for me) reaction to midge bites. Yesterday, three days, many hot tub sessions, showers and a day at Splashdown water park later; I felt a nip at the back of my heel, reached to scratch it and came away with a Tick on my finger.
The bite immediately swelled over a 40mm diameter area, red at first, turning to a dark bruise within a couple of hours.
Mrs OMM badgered me to call the out of hours GP, which turned out to be massively overloaded, so no call back until today.
Anyway, today, bruise had turned yellow already, but bite was swollen and had a lovely, clear, red ring around it. I feel like shit.
Got a call back from the GP about an hour ago, was in the hospital 45 minutes later and have been told there’s no need for serology, it’s a classic presentation (albeit a bit bloody rapid) and am now sat in the car with a three week course of Doxycycline...
Oddly, the 20/30 other bites don’t present as badly, just the one I copped yesterday.
Grim. Hope you feel better soon.
Particularly relevant to you Matt as you're in Torbay, but I climbed at Nudey Cliff yesterday (just near Babbacombe), and on arrival at the crag realised our legs and my dog were completely crawling with ticks. Managed to clear my legs and get trousers on, and haven't found any since. Had to give the dog a very close trim when we got home and they were tumbling off her.
I was really quite surprised as I didn't realise there was much in the way of animal vectors in those woods below the coast path, but I won't be going down there wearing shorts again.
-
Creag Dubh near Newtonmore is the worst I've seen - the crag and area around it is inhabited with feral goats.
-
We've got really vigilant with checking every time we go out, especially as the feral children just love running through moors/trees/bracken etc.
Was at Hepburn last week and hubby must have walked through a bush that the rest of us avoided as he was covered but the rest of us were clear. Fortunately got them all off before any had bitten.
-
Thing is, I’m a “life time on the Moors and mountains” sort of person and I’ve not picked up a Tick since I was a kid.
I Bivi frequently and always have.
I got complacent. I knew I should have had repellent on before a summer sleep out in a Dartmoor wood, I should have had the kids lathered in it too and I forgot. I know to change out of shorts before setting up camp, but I didn’t.
I am quite well again today. Yesterday’s crushing fatigue has passed and two hefty doses of Doxycycline in, all my swelling and soreness has faded to minor itching. Now the swelling/rash has gone down, it’s easier to tell midge bite from Tick and it looks like I have 3, possibly 4 Tick bites amongst a sea of midge bites. Still not sure why I reacted to the midge bites, as I said, I usually don’t (which is why I had got a bit complacent about insects and arachnids), especially considering I was on Loratadine for Hay fever anyway. Also, didn’t feel the midge bites for around 48 hours after.
Doctor shrugged and said some sort of medical version of “shit happens”.
I would normally bivi in a head net, in the summer, but I just added a wedge mozzie net to my bergan and have no intention of going onto the Moors without copious amounts of DEET on my legs after February, ever again. Damn it, I’ve been using high factor sunscreen as a habit for a couple of decades now, but not repellent.
-
Shit does indeed happen, and a lifetime of doing it without incident does tend to make one complacent.
Glad you're feeling better, hope that continues. Don't beat yourself up.
On the midge bites and gender, I know they prefer women because of our slightly higher body temp - husband and I often have similar conversations to you and Mrs OMM it would seem!
-
A friend was doing research about midges and was working on isolating pheromones which they like and dislike in order to develop a repellent but she lost funding and then later got Lyme's Disease (unrelated) so never went back to it.
-
A friend was doing research about midges and was working on isolating pheromones which they like and dislike in order to develop a repellent but she lot funding and then later got Lyme's Disease (unrelated) so never went back to it.
That sounds like she was the victim of a plot by the M.I.C.
(Midge Illuminati Conspiracy).
-
Thought I'd chime in here. There are some useful papers for people to scan over if they are worried about tick-borne disease.
Discussing the spatial distribution of ticks across GB:
https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-020-04287-9
Although this is only looking at distribution across cattle and sheep farms, the results can be extrapolated to infer general distribution. I am sure we are all well aware of the often fluid boundaries of sheep farms in mountainous areas in particular, and how often we share these areas with them in pursuit of our shared interest, so very relevant to climbers.
Key findings: Tick distribution in sheep farms is much higher than in cattle farms. North Wales, NW England, and NW Scotland are hotspots, with basically everywhere except the tip of Cornwall and SE England bearing a moderate risk of picking up a tick. All unsurprising no doubt.
On Tick Bourne Encephalitis in Europe (and Asia):
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877959X10000956?via%3Dihub
This one is a fairly general look at TBE. But there are some key points which are relevant to this thread. There is only one genus of tick which transmits TBE virus in Europe, Ixodes spp. They are pretty generic looking brown and tan ticks, with no decorative markings on the scutum (the plate near the head). They are also pretty common and widespread.
Key findings: Between 0.1-5% of Ixodes ricinus (deer tick, and amongst the most common species) bear TBE virus in europe. This is dependant on a couple of factors, namely the area and the life stage the tick is at. The more mature the tick (generally size is a good measure of maturity) the higher the likelihood of it harbouring the virus. I. persulcatus appears to have a much higher harbouring rate (up to 37% of ticks), but the distribution is far smaller in Europe, only really existing in colder northern countries, such as Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, and a small pocket in N. Ukraine. As you travel east across russia and into Asia, they are the dominant species, however. In Germany, the further south you go the higher the incidence of TBE.
Proportion of ticks carrying Lyme disease in the UK:
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147957111001287?casa_token=fAVuO8GIwQsAAAAA:KfHAhhXnGwWBdLoWBB4i_3-1CARh1JgDO9i8p__nf9NiuzvgL4IAtrLtFlC_BxXXoP4pZo0
[2] https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/parasitology/article/abs/natural-lyme-disease-cycles-maintained-via-sheep-by-cofeeding-ticks/3CE077B7C3118667FF39EBE2F5082E8A
Key findings: The results here vary, but I suspect this has a great deal to do with the methodological differences. 0.5% of ticks pulled off dogs were positive for Borrelia burgdorferi [1] (B.b, the causative agent of Lyme disease), however between 0.45-2.2% of questing juveniles (larvae and nymphs), and 10.7-22.2% of questing adults tested positive (all data collected 1993-1994 from Cumbrian moorland) [2]. Moreover, up to 26.5% of the adult ticks pulled from sheep were found to harbour B.b, indicating that sheep play a significant role as the reservoir host of Lyme disease (again, unsurprising to all). Judging by the results in the Ogden et al. paper, sheep build up some kind of immunity for B.b, since they reject experimental infection if they have previously had B.b +ve ticks feeding off them, and consequently cannot infect other ticks, with the caveat that ticks feeding very close to each other can still transmit the bacteria to each other. I would say this indicates that young animals act as the primary reservoir host each season, which explains why there is a spike of Lyme cases in early summer.
Hope this helps anyone at all, and wasn't too dry.
-
Another good reason for reducing sheep farming in the mountains.
-
Particularly relevant to you Matt as you're in Torbay, but I climbed at Nudey Cliff yesterday (just near Babbacombe), and on arrival at the crag realised our legs and my dog were completely crawling with ticks. Managed to clear my legs and get trousers on, and haven't found any since. Had to give the dog a very close trim when we got home and they were tumbling off her.
I was really quite surprised as I didn't realise there was much in the way of animal vectors in those woods below the coast path, but I won't be going down there wearing shorts again.
Hmmm yes maybe we should have read this a few days ago. The only "animal vectors" I'd expect down there would be velociraptors and lost stegadons and I don't think they carry ticks... I was in shorts but as usual they don't like the compression stockings (I think they get bored half-way up and think "Sod this, we're going off to the tick pub instead"), I did get one on my hand but that wasn't biting. Anyway, good warning, as Duncan will confirm!!
And get well soon OMM, that sounds like prettyy bad luck.
-
Was that on the way to nudey cliff?
-
I had one at the crag, Duncan had a few after.
-
Glad you found someone to get out with, how did you get on with the cobbles?
-
See Duncan's Power Club report! The cobbles were not quite as character-building as the dried mud matrix they were embedded (or gently relaxing) in :blink: It was good fun overall, despite the onsight sandbag grades throwing me off. DYTI6C was worth the price of admission.
-
The only "animal vectors" I'd expect down there would be velociraptors and lost stegadons and I don't think they carry ticks...
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-01550-z
I dunno if this changes your future plans to visit the place :lol:
-
I now have a mental image of a Fiend/T-Rex chimera wearing compression stockings.
Not quite cold war steve material :)
-
The only "animal vectors" I'd expect down there would be velociraptors and lost stegadons and I don't think they carry ticks...
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-01550-z
I dunno if this changes your future plans to visit the place :lol:
Great tick knowledge!
This was the first time I've ever knowingly been infested, I'd thought I was of no interest to the blighters as I've hardly been careful in the past. My special tick extractor that has been travelling with me for the last 5 years was completely useless (they were just crawling and hadn't started biting) but a careful swipe with a sharp blade removed them.
-
Last time I had a bad tick encounter - they seemed really atracred to certain items of clothing. Namely a grey soft shell and my moon satellite pad…
-
they were just crawling and hadn't started biting
Hairy legs seem to slow them down a bit, bad news for cyclists (do they actually shave their legs anymore?)
-
Anyone know if any of the tick borne diseases are prevalent in North Wales?
Rhiw Goch was absolutely swarming with them yesterday. I removed over a hundred in total (partly due to the sandbagged approach description leading to some unnecessary wading through the bracken). I had to remove more from my legs and the pad after each attempt on the Badgers in the Mist sitstart.
Have been there before, don't know if it's already common knowledge that there's loads of ticks there.
-
Some friends had a similar experience a weeks ago and they just bailed before even climbing as their dog got totally covered.
I’ve been there a few times in summer, although not for a few years now, with no tick issues at all, so this seems like a relatively recent infestation!
-
I've always been told to avoid Rhiw Goch in the summer because of the ticks. Don't think it's a recent thing, although wouldn't be at all surprised if it's gotten worse.
-
I must be blind, lucky or not very tasty because I have never knowingly seen a tick in my life. If I arrived at a climbing venue having to swat them off my legs/mat between goes I would run for my life and never return!
-
I must be blind, lucky or not very tasty because I have never knowingly seen a tick in my life. If I arrived at a climbing venue having to swat them off my legs/mat between goes I would run for my life and never return!
Exactly that! Despite been well loved by mozzies, I've never see a tick, not on me or anyone else human anyway.
-
I've removed plenty from the dogs but don't think I've ever had to remove one from me until yesterday either.
Will definitely wait until tick season is over before I return there.
-
As a kid and up to my mid 20s if never had one. Since then it's 20-30 per year.
3 more this weekend...
We now just do a thorough tick check every night if out in bracken etc.
-
92 in a day (+/- my counting accuracy) is my current record. It looked like my legs had black chickenpox. That was a fun few hours with the tweezers in the shower. Back in my fell running/orienteering days it was a question of how many rather than if I had any after a day in the hills/forest.
-
If I arrived at a climbing venue having to swat them off my legs/mat between goes I would run for my life and never return!
It's pretty unpleasant the first time, once you are used to it, it's just a hassle.
-
If I arrived at a climbing venue having to swat them off my legs/mat between goes I would run for my life and never return!
It's pretty unpleasant the first time, once you are used to it, it's just a hassle.
Unless you actually get Lyme disease…
I was on antibiotics pretty quickly after the first symptoms, but it was a rather unpleasant week of flu like symptoms and two or more weeks of persistent, banging, headaches (so bad I started to wonder if I’d picked up a double whammy and an Encephalitis on the side). Plus the intestinal side effects of 21 days of Doxycycline…
Good now though.
-
If I arrived at a climbing venue having to swat them off my legs/mat between goes I would run for my life and never return!
It's pretty unpleasant the first time, once you are used to it, it's just a hassle.
Good now though.
Glad to hear it - it can be grim long term! Get those Actimel (other brands available) down you now.
-
Never seen a tick before in my life. Warton was swarming! Fyi.
-
Warton and Hell Moss are awful for them. Ticks crawling on the mats. Yuck. I'm told it's better in winter.
-
I've always been in spring and autumn in the past with no problem, but there were so many yesterday! Pretty much as you describe...
-
Something is up.
Either everyone is suddenly talking about it, where they didn’t before, or there’s a veritable plague of Ticks upon the land.
It’s been a frequent topic amongst friends and acquaintances of mine around here, across the country and even in the US. It’s clearly a more common than usual observation amongst UKB posters, too.
Lack of long enough cold/subzero temperatures last winter? Shift in pesticide habits? Explosion/collapse in hedgehog (/a.n.other tick bearing mammal) population?
-
In my experience there are definitely more about this year. I am like a magnet for them and get covered so know the usual hotspots, however this year I'm picking them up from places I've never had a issue.
Even got one at ansteys on Wednesday?
-
I agree there must be more about than usual - I've not seen any yet but there was mention of Rhiw Goch, I was there about this time last year bashing through the ferns and didn't encounter a single one.
-
Explosion/collapse in hedgehog (/a.n.other tick bearing mammal) population?
red deer fucking everywhere around Eastern Grit in The Peak
-
We’d benefit from some apex predators patrolling the countryside, chewing on the UK’s deer and sheep..
https://rewildingeurope.com/rewilding-in-action/wildlife-comeback/wolf/
-
Interesting article, thanks. That
would liven up picnics on the Longshaw estate no end.
-
Interesting article, thanks. That
would liven up picnics on the Longshaw estate no end.
Wolves, no probs. Along with Lynx, they were all over the forests around our house in the Ardeche and my wife’s farm up in the Carpathian. Heard but rarely seen.
Bears, on the other hand, can do one ( actually, they tend to do whatever they want, akin to the Gorilla with an assault rifle).
-
3 more ticks from either shucks lair or woodwell fyi
-
Ticks in the county at this time of year normal? Just found a rather large one after going Hepburn today!
-
if the weather is mild enough that they can be found year round apparently.