PHE leaflet for GPs

Public Health England has issued an awareness leaflet for GPs: “Lyme disease, ticks and your patient’s health“.

This is brief but has some useful features which can be drawn to the notice of GPs who may know very little about Lyme disease. The leaflet highlights:

  • Many patients do not recall a bite or find a tick on their bodies
  • Transmission of disease can occur in less than a day
  • Lyme disease can be contracted across most of the country
  • Parks and gardens are risk areas (not just the countryside)
  • The EM rash is diagnostic of Lyme disease and should be treated
  • The rash may be absent in up to 30% of patients

There are still consultants and GPs who insist that if a patient has not had a rash, or not noticed a tick bite, or not visited the New Forest then they cannot have Lyme disease. This is useful material with which to counter those erroneous ideas.