Riskbites is a new podcast series from MDDUS, aimed at those professionals who have to consider risk issues in their day-to-day work. It will provide practical advice and training on risk issues, ensuring that these are addressed in a realistic way.

The aim of this series is to make the science behind risk as accessible and informative as possible, with the help of smart whiteboard-style graphics and informed narratives – to enable members of the public to understand how the science works. We hope that it will inspire a greater understanding of risk issues, and ultimately encourage members to consider these issues when they are performing their work, whether that be as partner/director responsible for risk in a business or as a fee earner and support member of professional practice.

Tick Bite Treatment:

Human bites can be a serious health concern, and are known to transmit hepatitis B, hepatitis C, herpes simplex virus (HSV) syphilis, tuberculosis, actinomycosis, and tetanus. Even if the bite is not infected, it can cause scarring and permanent tissue damage, so it’s best to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Tick-borne Disease Prevention:

To better inform risk-based prevention strategies, we conducted a meta-analysis of disease and tick-bite risks in North America during 1984-2018. We examined direct and indirect risk factors, as well as the roles of specific variables within each category. We found that abiotic factors (land use, landscape-related tick control measures, and land cover) and certain risk categories tended to increase risk for diseases, while other categories tended to decrease risk. The results of the current analysis support some widely disseminated recommendations, while others need further evaluation.