Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

VIDEO: Lochaber GP at forefront of fight to prevent Lyme disease

It is a disease that starts from an innocuous tick bite, but can have serious complications if not treated quickly.

And now, a Lochaber GP has created a checklist speed up diagnosis and treatment of Lyme Disease.

Dr James Douglas, based in Fort William, wants to minimise the risk of people catching the disease.

His campaign has captured incidences of tick bites across Lochaber with help from colleagues in primary care and out-of-hours services, as well as the Belford Hospital’s A & E department.

Dr Douglas said the information collected will prove to be useful across Scotland.

He explained: “The data capture study in Lochaber aims to give us a much more accurate rate in one area.

“It will be useful throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK for planning the NHS response to Lyme disease.”

The guidance is posted on the NHS Highland intranet and provides useful information on tick removal and how to stop the disease, which has no preventative vaccine.

Dr Douglas said: “This is a great example of colleagues in primary and secondary care working together on a project of mutual concern as well as the new GP clusters working on a subject of huge public interest here in Lochaber.

“The guidelines will not only inform colleagues on how to promptly diagnose a tick bite and Lyme disease, but will improve coding information for admissions to hospital and prevention advice.

“We are also working closely with Health Protection Scotland on public information and the Forestry Commission on occupational information.”

Dr Douglas, who works at the Tweeddale Medical Practice in Fort William, has produced a video to demonstrate how to remove a tick safely using a special plastic device.

He added: “I would encourage everybody to continue to use the great outdoors, but just take some common sense precautions like having a tick removal device in first-aid kits and rucksacks.”

The first sign of Lyme disease is often a skin rash which generally occurs up to seven days after a tick bite. It is completely curable if recognised and treated at the this stage.

But the rash – which is sometimes misdiagnosed as ringworm or an allergic reaction – doesn’t always occur. Early symptoms can also include tiredness, headaches and muscle pain. Later, the disease can cause a range of symptoms and conditions, including arthritis, serious neurological disorders and loss of memory.

People who have been bitten by a tick should remove it as soon as possible, preferably using a specially-designed removal device, then wash their hands and disinfect the device as well as the area of the bite.

Dr Douglas’ video can be viewed at: