CSV Action Desk

A South Yorkshire woman is leading a national campaign to raise awareness of the threat to your health from a common countryside pest.

Ticks are insects which live in the soil and crawl up onto long grass and short stems of trees in spring and summer. They attempt to find a host, so they can feed on the blood of either mammals, birds, reptiles or humans.

There are insect repellents available, people are advised to cover up exposed areas of the skin including ankles, shins and arms.

If you do spot a tick attached to your skin the advice is to use a sharply pointed pair of tweezers, grip the tick as closely to its head as possible, and pull it out avoiding any twisting or jerking. Then clean off with local anaesthetic. Do inform your doctor too.

Wendy tells us about her charity

Wendy's story

Wendy Fox from Wath in Rotherham loves the great outdoors, and has set up a charity to help tick bite sufferers. When aged just 23 she was struck down by the infection of a bite.

"I was left paralysed from the waist down, registered blind and with a heart condition because I contracted not one, but several, tick-borne diseases.

"I grew up with livestock and wildlife, so dealt with ticks all my life. I was a competitive horsewoman and then became a zookeeper in adult life, and got bitten regularly by ticks during my work.

"I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and four other tick-borne infections in 1992. I have been fighting my infections for 15 years now, having had weeks, months and even a year of aggressive chemotherapy to try to kill the infective organisms."

"I have needed full-time care since 2001, and will continue to require it for the rest of my life."

Charity help

Wendy is the director of the charity she set up as a result of her illness, and is the Director of BADA-UK (Borreliosis and Associated Diseases Awareness-UK).

Tick Prevention Week starts on 1 April - visit the weblinks below for further information.

For a free factsheet all about Tick Prevention Week and what you can do to protect you and your family call the CSV Action Desk at BBC Radio Sheffield on 0114 267 5444 or email : actiondesk.sheffield@bbc.co.uk