Prime Highlights
- Tick test boom is a sign of growing concern regarding Lyme disease in rural UK towns.
- Experts are alerting the public that high tick densities and habitat increase require coordinated, immediate control measures.
Key Fact
- Scottish laboratory Biobest has experienced a boom in orders for tick tests to diagnose Borrelia bacteria, which transmit Lyme disease.
- Farmers are requesting government-sponsored tick management programs to minimize health risks.
Key Background
There is a geometric demand for tick testing in rural areas as fear of Lyme disease rises. Scottish biotech company Biobest has experienced increased submissions as farmers and more and more individuals want to find out if ticks carry the Borrelia bacteria responsible for Lyme disease. The surge comes as ticks are extending their geographic range, exposing human beings, family pets, and livestock to greater danger.
Recent data put the extent of the issue into context: summer 2023 witnessed recorded cases of Lyme disease rise 33% compared to the previous year. The elevated incidence is cited as being caused by favorable tick habitat in the shape of bracken-blanketed land that could not be adequately controlled due to limitation of herbicides like Asulam. Without effective vegetation management, tick habitats remain and grow, adding to human and animal exposure.
Wildlife and livestock are most affected. Where risk exists, 88% of red grouse chicks in 2023 were tick-infested compared to 75% in 2022, a study revealed. Farmers increasingly are implementing strategies such as application of acaricides, vegetation removal, and controlled burning to control infestation, but these need wider, concerted action to be most effective.
Experts, including rural policy advisers, are demanding a coordinated national strategy. Government departments are being asked to implement integrated tick control measures, public education campaigns, and increased marking of high-risk areas. Protective equipment must be worn, tick repellents applied, and people, children, pets, and livestock thoroughly examined for ticks on return from forays.
This can be complemented by environmental management and regular tick screening with growing numbers of ticks and risk for Lyme disease.
