Dog-walkers in urban meadows spread killer Lyme disease to towns
DOG-WALKERS may be unknowingly spreading deadly Lyme disease in towns and cities.
Pets are increasingly picking up the ticks that carry the bacterial infection from the countryside and bringing them into urban areas, says a study.
Lyme disease, which can kill, is often assumed to be a curse of rural areas, but the bloodsucking parasites are now thriving in urban parkland.
The study by public health experts also suggests that the risk of contracting the disease is now as great in Britain as it is in continental Europe.
The number of cases in the UK is soaring, with an estimated 45,000 last year.
Natasha Metcalf, of the Lyme Disease UK support network, said: ‘The problem is getting worse in our towns and cities. Dog walkers should check their pets to make sure that they’re not spreading the risk.
‘I think they have a social responsibility to prevent the spread of Lyme disease and should feel that duty in just the same way as when it comes to picking up after their dogs.’
The study was compiled by British public health researchers and the Netherlands health ministry.
They scoured 25 sites around the Wiltshire city of Salisbury for two years. A total of 428 ticks were found at 14 sites, the majority of them the younger nymphs most likely to pass on the bacteria which causes Lyme disease.
The ticks were most common around the edge of woodland, but also showed up in six areas of either hedge, park or grassland.
The study, published in the journal Ticks And Tick-borne Diseases, is the first to suggest ticks could flourish in play areas and parks, especially where grass had grown high in ‘urban meadows’.
A mild episode of Lyme disease produces flu-like symptoms.
In severe cases, victims can suffer chronic fatigue, palsy, depression, paralysis and heart problems.