Swine Flu - First It's Pigs Now Chipmunks - UK At Risk Of Lyme Disease Epidemic
Posted: Thursday, July 23, 2009
by Kacycarr
http://www.spotthepimple.com
First its pigs and the swine flu that has caused global panic and the cause of many deaths, but now, it's chipmunks that are about to do the same. Unfortunately we are not talking about the lovable ones we all know and love for their singing like "Alvin Theodore and Simon" but the chipmunks that bring disease.
It has been brought to our attention that Britain is to be invaded by thousands of diseased chipmunks coming from France, experts have warned. The chipmunks are known carriers of ticks which cause Lyme disease, and even scarier is they can pass on rabies too.
Taking something across the channel without declaring it to customs is called smuggling making you a smuggler. The consequences of being caught smuggling is serious business. It becomes even more serious if what you smuggle puts people's lives at risk. The authorities are never lenient with matters of this nature no matter how sorry you are.
In a crisis like this we do have them that take heed of the warnings, and them that don't, putting them self and others at risk of disease. Despite the red flag flying in regards to the chipmunks and the dangers involved, they are still being sold for under £10 by French pet shop owners. French expert Jean Louis Chapuis has voiced quite loudly about the hazards of selling them as pets, but his advice seems to have fallen on deaf ears. The Siberian Chipmunks are thought to have spread across Belgium and France after 17 were let free to roam at an amusement park in Brussels in 1980. The approximate number given for them living in France is an astounding100, 000 chipmunks.
Naturalist Guy Bruel said: "There is a specific concern in the woods around Paris, attributed chiefly to people who have purchased the chipmunks as pets and then decided not keep them. Getting rid of the animals in this manner can lead to all sorts of problems. This type of behaviour will lead to the chipmunks getting to the United Kingdom in mass quantity, possibly as early as this summer he stated.
Lyme disease is a bacterial disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Within 7 to 14 days of being infected, the patient may have "bull's-eye" rash with fever, headache, and experience painful muscles or joints. Some folk suffering from Lyme disease may not have early symptoms…whereas with others they may show signs of fever, and other "flu-like" symptoms without a rash. Into the first couple of days, or weeks, the bacteria can spread causing rashes in other body parts, and pain that feels it's moving from joint to joint, and signs of inflammation of the heart or nerves. If you have the early symptoms of Lyme disease and it goes untreated which is not recommended, then additional symptoms such as swelling and pain in vital joints or mental changes are usual much later down the line (months) after getting infected. Lyme disease is caught from a tick bite which animals carry like the chipmunks we have been warned about.
Lyme disease Protection Awareness
- Avoid locations that are most likely infested with ticks, particularly in spring and summer when nymphal ticks feed.
- If you're in an area with ticks, then protect yourself by wearing light-colored garments so that ticks can be seen more easily.
- Wear long-sleeved clothes and tuck your pants inside your socks.
- Wear high rubber boots (wellingtons) since ticks are normally found at low level.
- Insect repellent which contains Deet should be applied to clothes and skin. Also permethrin is affective because it kills ticks on contact. DEET is a safe product to use on kids and grownups however should only be used following the Environmental Protection Agency guidelines to lessen the possibility of toxicity.
- Scour the body for ticks every day and rid immediately on finding.
- If a tick has entered the skin and become embedded remove it with pointed tweezers. Be careful with this process. Cleanse the spot where removal took place with an antiseptic cream or lotion.
What should we fear the most, getting swine flu or Lyme disease, either one can be fatal so does it really matter. Of course it matters and because both are deadly conditions you need to protect yourself. We have looked at the necessary precautions to take for Lyme disease, and now you must do the same for swine flu. Since I last wrote on the swine flu cases in England the number of patients have jumped to a staggering number of 100,000 confirmed new cases with the under 14s the worst hit. The latest death toll stands at 26 not changing from last week's figure, but it will.
- Always cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing; use a tissue you can discard. Avoid touching your face, nose or mouth with your hands because swine flu appears to be transmitted through respiratory droplets.
- Wash your hands with antibacterial lotion since swine flu like other viruses can be contracted by touching contaminated items. Soap and water will be fine if you don't have an antibacterial wash.
- Avoid large public gatherings and communal halls. Be careful about indoor gatherings where air circulates poorly. If you think you or another member of the family has swine flu then confine whoever is infected to their own room and open windows of the house and call your GP.
- Wear a respiratory mask.
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