News

With the summer now upon us, people will be spending more time outdoors and enjoying the beautiful Western Isles landscapes and scenery. 

Following the recent reports of higher than ever numbers of ticks in the environment, NHS Western Isles wants to ensure that people are aware of the actions that can be taken to avoid tick bites. The Public Health team has produced refreshed new materials, including posters, leaflets and bookmarks. They are bright, colourful and easy to read resources that explain the important actions people can take to prevent tick bites and what to do if you have been bitten. The resources are available in both English and Gaelic. 

Over the summer, NHS staff and some of those involved in the tick research in the Outer Hebrides will attend a range of events, i.e Uig show, Barra Science Festival, North Uist Agricultural Show, South Harris Show and Lochs show. Come along to the stall and ask questions or just take a copy of the leaflet. 

To disseminate the important tick awareness messages, the Health Protection Team has also prepared information packs for businesses. Any business who would like to raise awareness with their workers/ service users is invited to contact the team to receive a pack. The pack will include a poster, information leaflet and a tick removing tool. State if you wish English or Gaelic resources. 

The packs can be accessed by contacting the team:  

Health Protection Team 37 South Beach Street, Stornoway:  01851 708033 

Health Protection, 42 Winfield Way, Balivanich Benbecula: 01870 603366 

or email: wi.healthprotection@nhs.scot

The resources will also shortly be available on the NHS Western Isles website to download.