What we know about Lyme disease in the UK as Miranda Hart reveals diagnosis
Miranda Hart has revealed she was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which left her "bed-bound and housebound" for a period.
The comedian and actor, who also announced she had secretly married, opened up about her condition during an appearance on Radio 4’s Today programme and said: "There’d be times where I’d look at a glass of water, and think, ‘I don’t know how to pick that up’."
She said the bacterial infection, usually spread to humans through infected ticks, means she now struggles with chronic fatigue. Hart has written about her experience in more detail in her new book, I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You.
Hart joins a number of celebrities who have been diagnosed with Lyme disease, and awareness around the condition is increasing. In January, Coronation Street featured a storyline in which young Joseph Brown (played by William Flanagan) had to be rushed to hospital with the illness.
Other famous faces who spoken out about living with Lyme disease include Eastenders star Martine McCutcheon, supermodel Bella Hadid, singer Shania Twain, actress Amy Schumer, actor Ben Stiller, and pop star Justin Bieber.
Here's what we know about Lyme disease in the UK
Cases of Lyme disease have been increasing in England. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), 882 acute cases of the disease were reported between April and September 2023, up from 635 cases the year prior.
The UKHSA said: "Since data collection began in 2005, there has been a gradual increasing trend in cases of Lyme disease, although yearly fluctuations have been observed, particularly since 2018."
Why is Lyme disease on the rise in the UK?
Ticks, which are small eight-legged parasites that feed on the blood of mammals and birds, can carry and pass Lyme disease on to humans.
The insects can be found all over the UK, but are most common in areas of dense vegetation such as woodland, heathland and long grass, according to Woodland Trust.
They are particularly common in the New Forest, Exmoor, the South Downs, Thetford Forest, the Lake District, the North Yorkshire Moors, and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
However, scientists have raised concerns that climate change is "likely" to increase the number of ticks in the UK - which could lead to a rise in Lyme disease cases.
As global warming creates a hotter and more humid climate across the country, UKHSA said these are "favourable conditions" for ticks to breed and spread.
Jolyon Medlock, head of medical entomology at the UKHSA, told Sky News: "If there are more people exposed to ticks, we are likely to see more cases of Lyme disease in the future."
Writing in The Conversation last year, Professor Sally Cutler of the University of East London said the incidence of Lyme disease is still fairly low in the UK, but that cases are rising in other parts of Europe.
The UKHSA also contributes the rise in total cases to a combination of increased awareness of Lyme disease, improved surveillance, better access to diagnostics, higher exposure to ticks due to wildlife populations and habitats changing, and human behaviour trending.
Not all ticks carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, but the most common tick species in the UK, the castor bean tick, does. Ticks can also spread other types of disease, such as tick-borne encephalitis virus, babesiosis, tick-borne relapsing fever, and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever.
What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?
Lyme disease can be treated, and the earlier it is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.
Symptoms can include:
A circular or oval-shaped rash around a tick bite (can appear up to three months after being bitten, but usually appears within one to four weeks)
A high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
Headache
Muscle and joint pain
Tiredness and loss of energy
If you have been bitten by a tick, you should remove it as soon as you can to avoid risk of infection. If you become unwell after being bitten, you should visit your GP as soon as possible.
If left untreated, Lyme disease can become chronic, resulting in debilitating and disabling symptoms, says Lyme Disease UK. The charity warned that the condition’s symptoms are non-specific and can mimic many other conditions - leading it to be dubbed ‘the Great Imitator’. This puts patients at risk of being misdiagnosed.
How to avoid ticks
Most tick bites may occur when you’re out in nature, particularly during the spring and summer months when they are most active.
According to the Woodland Trust, here are several precautions you can take to reduce the risk of a tick bite:
Keep to footpaths and avoid walking through dense vegetation
Cover your skin and tuck your trousers into your socks.
Wear light-coloured clothing as this makes ticks easier to spot and brush off
Use insect repellent containing DEET
After spending time outside, it’s important to check yourself, your clothing, your pets and others for ticks, the UKHSA adds.
If you do find ticks, remove them as soon as you can using a tick removal tool or fine-tipped tweezers.
Read more about Lyme disease:
Lyme disease: Justin Bieber's tick-bite illness can cause joint pain, heart problems, and depression (The Conversation, 4-min read)
Lyme disease signs and symptoms as Bella Hadid reflects on 15 years of 'invisible suffering' (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
Lyme disease in dogs: Symptoms to look out for and how to prevent it (Daily Record, 4-min read)
