Radcliffe North & Ainsworth Councillor Jo Lancaster has issued a statement on her recovery from Lyme disease.
Cllr Lancaster opened up to residents, in a video posted on Facebook, that she contracted Lyme Disease some two weeks ago from a tick bite as she was walking through the countryside in Ainsworth.
In her video, Jo tells residents that she “became very very ill two weeks ago” after she had been bitten on her leg by a tick. Cllr Lancaster has told residents she went to two hospitals in the area that initially dismissed the issues and symptoms before going to North Manchester General Hospital Infection Disease department which eventually diagnosed her with Lyme Disease following a tick bite. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks. A circular or oval shape rash around a tick bite can be an early symptom of Lyme disease in some people. Some people also get flu-like symptoms a few days or weeks after they were bitten by an infected tick The NHS website says you should see a GP if you've been bitten by a tick or visited an area in the past 3 months where infected ticks could be and you have: flu-like symptoms – such as feeling hot and shivery, headaches, aching muscles or feeling sick, ora round or oval shape rash.
Cllr Lancaster said in her video that Lyme Disease can make you “very poorly and is definitely not worth it” if you can avoid it. To avoid contracting this from a tick bite, Cllr Lancaster shared that you should “wear long trousers or insect repellent if you’re going on walks in the countryside” Now fighting fit after medication from the hospital, Cllr Lancaster has said she is ready to get back to work after two weeks recuperating and encourages any residents with casework or queries to contact her.
If you think you may have recently been bitten then you should visit the NHS website, call 111 or speak to your doctor. You can find the NHS website on Lyme Disease here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/
