How we started
Borreliosis and Associated Diseases Awareness UK (BADA-UK) is registered as a charity in England and Wales, and in Scotland. It was formed by a group of people who were brought together by the effects of Borreliosis / Lyme disease and other associated infections caused by tick bites. All of our staff are unpaid volunteers from different professional backgrounds (such as scientists, medics, teachers and other professionals), who have agreed to use their skills to try to help address the increasing problem of ticks and tick-borne disease in the United Kingdom.
Our own experiences
The prognosis for a patient is usually good if tick-borne diseases are treated early and adequately. However, misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, incorrect treatment, or total lack of treatment, has resulted in most of our members being ill for many years. For some of us, this has led to permanent disability.
Our aims
We believe that public and professional awareness is key to combating the rise in cases of tick-borne disease. We understand, perhaps better than anyone, the devastating effects that these diseases can have. Therefore we strive to help prevent others from falling victim to them.
Our charitable aims are:
The advancement of education in the subject of Borreliosis and other diseases which are principally, but not exclusively, tick-borne.
The promotion of research into the areas of such diseases described above, their symptoms, cures and prevention, and the dissemination of the useful results of research to the public.
The preservation and protection of good health by education, research and other means as become available to us.
Our activities
We work closely with other organisations who share our concerns regarding the impact of ticks on the environment as a whole, and on people who work and pursue leisure activities within it. We also have co-operated with research projects by sharing data collated from our national survey.
We exhibit at various venues across the whole of the UK, to teach members of the public the facts regarding ticks, how to take defensive measures against them, and how to safely remove any attached ticks to minimise the risks of transmission of infection.
We organise an annual national awareness week in spring, when ticks become more active. Tick Bite Prevention Week is publicised in the national media, which helps raise public awareness at a crucial time when people start to get out and about in the warmer weather. It has its own dedicated website (www.tickbitepreventionweek.org) which remains accessible all year round.
As well as providing a comprehensive website, we are also on hand to answer any questions that people perhaps cannot find the answer to. We also provide support for people who have been newly diagnosed or have concerns about their health.
Our funding
BADA-UK is funded solely by donations and by fundraising events. We do not receive any official funding. The money we raise is used to produce literature, to provide educational exhibits and presentations, to organise our national awareness week and for various other projects.
You can download leaflets about BADA-UK at HYPERLINK "http://www.bada-uk.org" www.bada-uk.org
Tick Bite Prevention Week 11-17 April 2011
Tick Bite Prevention Week provides information to help prevent ticks from biting people and pets. It also gives advice on what to do if ticks do attach. The campaign week is held in early spring when the weather gets warmer, people spend more time outdoors and ticks become more active.
Don't panic but be 'Tick Aware
If you are involved in outdoor activities which take you into the countryside or parks and gardens with lots of wildlife (such as squirrels, hedgehogs and deer), you may be at risk of tick bites. Ticks can carry a number of infective organisms which can sometimes make people and pets ill if they get bitten. Simple precautions can help to keep you safe.
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