§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he proposes to stem the incidence of Lyme disease in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieLyme disease is communicated to man by the bite of a hard tick harboured by deer and wild rodents. It is not common in the United Kingdom—13 cases were reported from East Anglia in 1984 and several further cases in the New Forest this year. The best preventive measure is to avoid likely tick-infested areas when feasible. The disease responds to phenoxmethyl, penicillin or tetracycline.
The Public Health Laboratory Service's communicable disease surveillance centre will soon begin routine 401W collection of positive laboratory results, so that cases of Lyme disease may be included in a continuing national surveillance system and the incidence of the disease kept under review.