THE Titan Crane will be lit up green on May 16 to help raise awareness of Lyme Disease.

Local activist Pauline Bowie suffers from the infection that is spread by infected blacklegged ticks – also known as deer ticks – which are found crawling in tall grass and leaf.

Clydebank’s MSP Gil Paterson met with Pauline, who arranged for the Clydebank landmark to be shining bright as part of Lyme Disease Awareness Month.

Mr Paterson said: “Lyme disease can be a debilitating disease and can produce symptoms throughout a lifetime.

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“It is becoming increasingly common so everyone should be aware of the dangers and what to do if you pick up a tick.

“Pauline has worked tirelessly to help educate people about the facts of Lyme disease and to promote research into treatment.

“The best course of action is to prevent infection by using insect repellent, covering your skin when you are out in the countryside – tuck your trousers into your socks - and sticking to the middle of the path where possible.

“It is also a good idea to wear light coloured clothing so that the dark coloured ticks show-up and are easier to see.

“I would urge everyone to check for ticks whenever they’ve been out in the countryside or in tall grass anywhere. Better safe than sorry.”

The best-known symptom, a red or pinkish rash in a bulls-eye pattern is, is likely to appear 2-30 days after a bite.

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Other early symptoms include muscle and joint pain, fever, fatigue and headache with some people noticing areas of numbness or tingling.

Left untreated, a Lyme infection can affect any system in the body and can produce debilitating fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, arthritis in any joint, numbness, tingling, nerve pain and weakness, heart problems, psychiatric disorders, difficulty with thinking and memory as well as problems with vision and hearing.

For further information, visit lymeresourcecentre.com/.