Just what is Lyme disease?

KNOWN as the ‘great imitator’, Lyme disease can display symptoms which lead to a misdiagnosis of arthritis and MS.

Victims of tick bites should look out for a bullseye-shaped rash, which can appear in more than half of cases.

It usually takes 36 to 48 hours for an infected tick to transmit Lyme disease to a human.

The main cause of Lyme is a bacterium called Borrelia, which can weaken the immune system and reactivate dormant viruses.

There are an estimated 3,000 cases in the UK each year.