Brighton Lyme Disease Support Group
As the 2010 Lyme disease healthguide pathway on the NHS Map of Medicine
states: “incidence of Lyme disease in the UK is not well documented but
there are an estimated 1,600-2,600 cases of Lyme disease annually: of
the 600 confirmed cases in 2005, 500 cases were acquired in the UK and
100 abroad.”
Help and support for lyme disease sufferers in the Brighton and Hove area
However, a 2012 Bristol University survey of pet dogs indicates Lyme disease risk much greater than previous estimates suggest. As the Bristol University study stated:
“Ticks infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease may be considerably more prevalent in the UK than expected, according to new research from the University of Bristol that used pet dogs as ‘sentinels’ for human disease risk.”
Currently, as many people who have Lyme Disease or other tick-borne infections are misdiagnosed with other diseases, such as CFS, M.E., fibromyalgia and various other conditions, the incidence rate of tick-borne infections in the UK is likely to be much higher than is currently acknowledged. For example, CFS/ME is thought to affect around 250000 people in the UK. It is unknown what percentage of those people actually have a tick-borne infection. As this video of French Doctors show, many children who were previously diagnosed as being autistic have responded to long-term antibiotics because they actually have a bacterial infection, including Lyme Disease. This paper in the British Journal of Medical Practitioners gives many examples of chronic bacterial and/or viral infections, such as Lyme Disease, as common features of many different progressive chronic diseases.
If this poll is anything to go by, around 14% of cases of Lyme Disease are from the South East of England. We are not aware of detailed statistics on incidence rate in Sussex.
As the HPA says, “Since 2000, an average 15% of cases are known to have been acquired abroad. The remaining cases are predominantly those acquired in the United Kingdom, but for some the travel history is not known. Cases have been reported from most counties in England and Wales, with infection occurring most frequently in Exmoor, the New Forest, the South Downs, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex, Thetford Forest, the Lake District and the North York Moors. Cases have been reported occasionally from many other areas with suitable tick habitats.”
Ticks are present all over the UK!
These articles show that it is a problem in Sussex
Lyme disease warning in Sussex – The Argus – 21st April 2011 – By Siobhan Ryan, Health Reporter
Sussex Lyme disease warning – The Argus – 7th May 2010 – By Siobhan Ryan, Health Reporter
A little tick started things going wrong – Mid Sussex Times – Thursday 18 October 2007
Ticks and mites recorded in Sussex , Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre, OCCASIONAL PAPER 13
Living with Borreliosis (Lyme disease) – Sue’s story – how she got it in West Sussex
Professor commits suicide after catching dementia from tick bite – London Evening Standard
Lyme Disease nationally
Deadly Lyme disease on increase as more of us spend time outdoors – The Telegraph – 16 May 2011
Why the ‘Lyme’ Wars are coming to Britain – Kate Bloor – healthmatters magazine
Survey of pet dogs indicates Lyme disease risk much greater than previous estimates suggest – 25 January 2012 – Bristol University study – “Ticks infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease may be considerably more prevalent in the UK than expected, according to new research from the University of Bristol that used pet dogs as ‘sentinels’ for human disease risk.”
Patient Stories on Lyme Disease Action website
Patient Stories on Patient Opinion website
The many faces of Lyme disease. The famous, not so famous and Lyme. – Stories from many different people who have had Lyme Disease and other tick-borne infections on the Borreliosis and Associated Diseases Awareness UK website.
