In Britain, medical education is highly variable regarding diseases transmitted by ticks. It may be left to you
- the patient, to continue to emphasise that symptoms were linked to a tick bite.
- the doctor, to be aware of the possibility, to question the patient, and to read our resources for clinicians
Lyme disease in the UK
It is not so common as in much of mainland Europe, but you need to be aware, so you can help your GP to help you!
Key awareness: know where you are at risk from tick bites, know what to consider if you fall ill after being in such a place and know where to go for trustworthy further information!
We all read things on-line or in the press and wonder “is this true?” . . . “have they got this right?”. We have put some of the questions we are often asked on our Reality Check page.
Questions about tests for Lyme disease:
- are private ones better than NHS ones?
- what about those overseas labs?
Tick-borne infections – there is a lot on-line about people “with Lyme and co-infections”.
- What are these co-infections?
- Can I catch them in the UK?
And Lyme disease itself:
- Is it sexually transmitted?
- Why do they record more cases in Europe than here in the UK?
Lyme disease is complicated and we don’t know everything there is to know, but some aspects have been well researched and there are at least some answers. Have a read of our Reality Check page, and if you have other questions, then contact us. We have a large library of scientific papers and we fact check all our information carefully.
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