Anger at Lyme disease ‘travesty’

The public petitions committee has been considering a petition lodged by Montrose woman Lorraine Murray and fellow Lyme disease sufferer Janey Cringean.

Mrs Murray has been left virtually housebound since being bitten by a tick in August 2014 while walking her dog at Kinnaber.

The former fitness instructor has spent £20,000 privately in the UK but flew to Washington for specialist treatment costing £10,000 after being diagnosed with three co-infections.

The women called on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to improve testing and treatment for Lyme Disease and associated tick-borne diseases by ensuring that medical professionals in Scotland are fully equipped to deal with the complexity of tick-borne infections.

Aberdeenshire West Conservative MSP Alexander Burnett said the danger of the illness has been pointed out to the Scottish Government by an English and Welsh body.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), has published a report on the illness which gives advice to the NHS south of the border.

It identifies the Highlands in particular as a danger spot for contracting the disease.

Mr Burnett said the warning has come before any action at Holyrood. He said: “I think it’s a travesty that we’re having to wait for this to be pointed out to us by Nice before we actually take any action in Scotland.”