The Observer - 04.08.2019

Section:OBS 2N PaGe:19 Edition Date:190804 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 3/8/2019 18:36 cYanmaGentaYellowbla

• The Observer
  News 04.08.19 19

Lyme disease organism carried by

infected ticks.

“Once they have reacted to their

fi rst infected bite, they produce anti-

bodies which not only prevent infec-

tion of the deer themselves but carry

on circulating in the bloodstream and

may have an active role in cleansing

any subsequent ticks which feed on

them, removing the Borrelia from its

system and thus preventing it infect-

ing anything else.”

Rather, the infection of ticks takes

place when, they are still just lar-

vae, they feed on smaller hosts such

as mice, voles, squirrels, hedge-

hogs and almost all bird species,

especially those that forage on the

ground such as blackbirds, thrushes

and robins.

“If you want a big population

of juvenile ticks, then you do need

these  big hosts, such as deer, sheep

or hares , that feed the adult females

so they can lay their eggs,” said

Gilbert, whose work on the relation-

ship between deer density and Lyme

disease will be completed in the next

three to fi ve years and, given the lack

of data in  the field, is likely to be

widely studied.

Putman said he believed a warmer,

wetter climate, which has made it

easier for ticks to survive winters, was

a signifi cant factor in the increase in

reported cases of the disease, which

can lead to paralysis and, in rare

examples, death. A lack of manda-

tory sheep-dipping, allowing a spread

of ticks on sheep, is also blamed by

some experts.

So far, one infl uential study, con-

ducted in Norway and published in

the journal Nature Communications in

2016, has found that “managing deer

populations will have some effect on

disease incidence, but ... Lyme disease

may nevertheless increase as multiple

drivers are involved”.

“We still don’t know what the

impact of deer density is on Lyme dis-

ease risk but it’s unlikely to be nega-

tive,” Gilbert said. “At best, it could be

just neutral.”

ON OTHER PAGES

Tara Conlan on her brush with

Lyme after a trip to the New Forest

Focus, page 38

A red deer in

the Scottish

Highlands.

Deer are one of a

number of hosts

for ticks. Getty

Union leaders will restart talks with

Heathrow this morning as the airport

attempts to avert strikes by thousands

of workers at the peak of the holiday

season.

Heathrow has already cancelled

177 fl ights for tomorrow and Tuesday

because of a planned 48-hour stop-

page by members of Unite.

Faced with imminent industrial

action , Heathrow management held

a meeting, chaired by the conciliation

service Acas, with union leaders yes-

terday , after discussions had contin-

ued without agreement until 11pm on

Friday. But the talks were adjourned

last night after Unite rejected a revised

pay deal.

“Unite have rejected our revised

pay offer today. While we are dis-

appointed, we will continue to seek

an agreement at Acas tomorrow,” the

spokesperson said. The talks are due

to resume today at 10am.

About 4,000 Unite members voted

by almost 9-1 to reject a pay offer

which Heathrow said was worth 7.3%

over two and a half years.

But Wayne King, Unite’s regional

coordinating offi cer , said: “Airport

bosses need to heed this latest strike

vote and the overwhelming rejec-

tion by our members of their revised

pay offer, which offers little over and

above the original offer of £3.75 extra

a day for many workers.

“It is in Heathrow bosses’ power

to settle this dispute. We would

urge them to work with us to do so,

and avoid the disruption to passen-

gers that strike action will inevita-

bly bring.”

An airport spokesman said: “Unite

is proceeding with its unnecessary

strike action on 5 and 6 August, and

we regret that passengers looking to

get away on well-earned family holi-

days will be impacted by this.

“We have activated contingency

plans, which will keep the airport

open and safe on both strike days.

“We expect security queue times to

be slightly longer than normal, and

advise passengers to check our web-

site for detailed information on how

to prepare for their fl ights and when

to arrive at the airport. ”

Further strikes are planned for 23

and 24 August.

Heathrow talks resume

as strike action looms

Mattha Busby

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