Whose health matters in the countryside?
By Stella Huyshe-Shires, Chair of Lyme Disease Action (LDA)
Yours? The health of your farm animals, your pets, garden wildlife? Moorland, river, town parkland?
At Lyme Disease Action (LDA) we concentrate on ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) in humans, but as in the rest of life, it is not that simple. All readers of this article will be concerned about their own health and the risks that ticks may pose. Many readers will also be concerned about the risks of TBD to the animals they care for, whether pets, working animals or livestock. A large number of readers will also be concerned about the impact on environmental health of chemicals used to prevent or treat tick-borne, and other, diseases.
All organisms are part of an ecosystem, the health of which matters to us all. Although we can consider one element on its own, say animal health or human health, it makes more sense to consider it all together. This is where the One Health approach comes in – the health of all living components of our ecosystem is inextricably linked: animals, crops, humans, wildlife.
Because the science that we understand has grown so much, specialisms have narrowed and become more focussed. To some extent the connections between the specialisms have understandably been put aside to focus on specific detail.
Countryside and nature conservation is an area where the connections are recognised because helping humans, animals and crops with their diseases has been seen to have an impact on nature. Antibiotics, insecticides, fungicides, household chemicals etc. do not just affect their intended targets; we know this.
As an example: dipping sheep is effective in killing, and protecting from, parasites. But recognition grew that sheep, still dripping, could not just be released back onto the land and the dip residue tipped away into the watercourses. The impact was noted, new chemicals found and very stringent regulations put in place. The impact on neighbouring flocks of sheep, e.g. on moorland, was also recognised, encouraging cooperation. No point in keeping your flock healthy if your neighbours’ grazing the commons are playing host to the pests and diseases.
We cannot just kill the vectors and pathogens causing human and animal disease without thought, we have to achieve a balance. The shift now is towards stopping pathogens getting a hold, and if that can be done without chemicals that harm the environment, then so much the better; vaccines perhaps being a current potential solution in many areas.
On the other side of the equation, we cannot simply protect and encourage nature and wildlife at the expense of human and animal health, and food production. There has been a move to increase shrub and tree planting in town parks to encourage urban wildlife. This increases biodiversity, is good for the birds and the bees and beneficial for human health. But it helps some of the wildlife that we are not so keen on; including ticks. In changing our moorland and increasing woodland, we also increase habitat for deer, which are hosts to large numbers of ticks and the many pathogens they can transmit.
Across the country we are now encouraging the re-creation of wetlands, and promoting ponds to hold back water and reduce flooding. One does not associate ticks with wetlands, but what about mosquitoes? We eliminated indigenous malaria in the UK through better drainage and improved housing. We now just have some imported cases in travellers every year and have not had to resort to chemical sprays as in some tropical countries. We do still have mosquitoes, however; could malaria get a hold again or will preventative measures hold it at bay?
The climate is changing and our islands are becoming more suitable to different diseases, both of animals and humans. New mosquito species, new tick species and new diseases are spreading up through northern Europe and some have already arrived in the UK.
To aid us in all of this, surveillance can be key: ports monitored for invasive mosquitoes and habitats surveyed for ticks and the prevalence of TBDs. We need to communicate the data and information across disciplines and across communities so that people think of connections. Those taking their dogs abroad should be aware of the risks of bringing back other diseases, those campaigning for reduction in chemical treatments and also those crafting legislation and guidelines, should be aware of the connections and consequences.
We need to feed our people, provide clean drinking water for all, and the integrated health of the ecosystem is recognised as vital. How to balance the risks and benefits, short term and long term, is the big question. We need to be aware of what influences the health of all components of the ecosystem and encourage scientists to look across disciplines. This all needs funding, and funding only comes with awareness of the potential consequences of ignorance.
Whoever, or whatever you care for – animals, humans, land or waterways, your health is the important factor that enables you to do your job. So to return to LDA’s focus, please be aware of ticks, remove them from yourself quickly and be aware of symptoms so that you get a diagnosis early and the effective treatment which will deal with your infection. Be careful about what you read on the internet and check what your doctor or vet says against a trusted, evidence based resource such as a PIF Tick accredited organisation.
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