Aberdeenshire farmer raises awareness of Lyme disease

An Aberdeenshire farmer is helping to raise awareness of the potentially life-changing impact of Lyme Disease from tick bites.

Stuart Munro, who farms near Peterhead, became very unwell last summer with flu-like symptoms which didn’t improve. His symptoms also included joint pain and memory problems, and a simple blood test confirmed he had Lyme Disease.

The month of May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and Stuart is sharing his story in a video which has been recorded and released by RSABI, the charity which supports people in Scottish agriculture.

The response to the video, viewed around 50,000 times in just 48 hours, has been very powerful, with many others in the farming community sharing their experiences of the impact Lyme Disease has had on their lives, or the lives of a family member.

Stuart’s sister Nicola Dalgarno is a nurse who works as part of RSABI’s Health Hut team which brings vital health support into the farming community. A team of a dozen Health Hut nurses and doctors attend auction markets and agricultural shows and one of their themes over the coming months will be raising awareness of Lyme Disease, with Nicola particularly determined to raise awareness, having witnessed the impact the disease has had on her brother.

Stuart, who also works as a forestry contractor, said he is not sure exactly when he was bitten but regrets not acting quickly enough to seek medical treatment which could have prevented him contracting Lyme Disease. He now suffers from chronic illness which includes extreme tiredness affecting his farming and family life.

His clear message is to take steps to avoid being bitten by ticks by keeping covered up as much as possible when outdoors, to carefully check yourself for ticks each night and to remove ticks as quickly as possible when they are found.

Very often, but not always, the sites of infected bites by ticks develop a circular rash, often described as a bullseye rash and the message from experts is to act quickly and seek urgent medical attention if you have cause for concern, such as flu-like symptoms.

Stuart said;

“The sooner you can get antibiotics the more chance you have of getting on top of it.

“There definitely should be more awareness of Lyme Disease in the farming community, given we spend so much time outdoors, and the longer-term side effects which can result from an untreated infected tick bite.

“Hopefully by sharing my story it will help to raise awareness of the severe impact contracting Lyme Disease can have on your life and your livelihood, because this is something you don’t want to have that is for sure.”

More information on Lyme Disease is available via www.lymediseaseuk and www.lymeresourcecentre.com

RSABI offers free practical, financial, and emotional support to people in Scottish agriculture including counselling services, delivered quickly after receiving the initial enquiry. Its free confidential support service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, by calling 0808 1234 555 (calls won’t show up on phone bills) or through a confidential webchat service, available on RSABI’s website www.rsabi.org.uk.