Forget midges, the insect to fear is the tick, as they can spread a serious disease the effects of which can last for years.
What is a tick – It is a tiny spider-like creatures found in woodland and moorland areas. They suck blood from birds and mammals, including humans, as part of its life cycle – but some carry a bacterium that can cause illness.
What is the illness –
It is Lyme disease. In the early 1970s a group of children and adults in Lyme, Connecticut, USA, suffered puzzling and debilitating health issues with swollen knees, paralysis, skin rashes, headaches, and severe chronic fatigue, often lasting for years.
Some forms of Lyme disease can cause a potentially dangerous allergy to red meat called Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS) causing the risk of anaphylactic shock, and deer stalkers in parts of the Highlands have contracted this condition after being bitten by ticks with Alph-gal in their saliva.
