DEAR News Of The Area,

REGARDING Andrea Ferrari’s fine article about Milly Formby’s courageous and epic flight around the Oz coastline, may I point out something very harmful that migrating coastal birds bring to Australia.

While migrating down the Asian east coast, mainly Mutton Birds, or Shearwaters, pick up Asian ticks and deposit them on our coastline.

This is the source of ‘Asian’ Lyme Disease (caused by Borellia Myamotoi), which is infinitely worse than ordinary Lyme Disease (caused by Borellia Burgdorferi).

According to Dr. Ann Mitrovic of the Sydney University Tick-borne Disease Research Unit, B. Myamotoi has already infected baby Asian ticks at birth.

Thus, they don’t need to bite an infected animal before biting a human.

I have seen Oz wildlife gorging on dead birds on the beach and thus picking up the ticks, which then spread to our bush, where mainly Painted Lorries spread them to our streets and gardens. This Asian Lyme disease is the worst possible disease, being incurable, mimicking many other illnesses, reducing thousands of victims to pathetic wrecks and being terminal and sometimes fatal.

Every coin has two sides!

Regards,
LLoyd WRIGHT,
Toormina.