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Assessing and communicating animal disease risks for countryside users
Summary 
Many people take pleasure from activities in forests and wild lands in the UK and others are being encouraged to participate. These inevitably incur certain risks, however, and one of the most insidious is the possibility (albeit tiny) of acquiring a disease from wild animals; for example, ticks can be vectors of the bacterial infection leading to Lyme Disease. Both diagnosis and treatment can be problematic so prevention of acquiring such disease is highly desirable. This programme will help those involved in the countryside to understand better how to deal with diseases such as Lyme Disease, how to communicate the degree of risk effectively, and how to encourage preventative action such that the countryside continues to be a source of pleasure and well-being for its users. Research objectivesSurprisingly little is known about how best to warn countryside users about the potential for disease without scaring them away or spoiling their enjoyment. Answering such questions is the goal of this programme, and requires the integration of a diverse set of scientific skills including: - Forest ecology
- Parasite ecology
- Environmental and social psychology
- Sociology and political science.
The programme also requires an understanding of the views of: - Those who manage countryside
- Those who have contracted zoonotic diseases
- Those who access the land.
Funders and partnersThe inter-disciplinary team of researchers involves staff from Forest Research, the University of Oxford and the University of Surrey. 
The research is being conducted as part of the Research Councils' Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) Programme (Project: RES 229-25-0007). RELU is funded jointly by the Economic and Social Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Natural Environment Research Council, with additional funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department.
  
Additional funding for the programme is being provided by the Forestry Commission and the Universities of Oxford and Surrey.
Research activitiesThe work will consist of three phases: - Understanding the present
- Identifying possible futures
- Actions for possible futures.
Within each of these phases, work will consider scenario analysis, risk analysis and risk perception: A Project Advisory Board will provide specialist advice on aspects of the research, and a Practitioner Panel will guide the practical implementation of the findings. StatusThe project commenced on the 1st September 2007 and will last three years. Contacts and further informationAbout the researchFor further information on the programme as a whole, contact: Chris Quine
Forest Research
Northern Research Station
Roslin
Midlothian EH25 9SY
Tel: 0131 445 2176
Fax: 0131 445 5124
Email: chris.quine@forestry.gsi.gov.uk The work on risk analysis is being led by Professor Sarah Randolph: Sarah Randolph
Professor of Parasite Ecology
Department of Zoology,
University of Oxford
Email: sarah.randolph@zoo.ox.ac.uk The work on risk perception is being led by Dr Julie Barnett and Professor David Uzzell: Dr. Julie Barnett
Senior Research Fellow
Department of Psychology
University of Surrey
Email: J.Barnett@surrey.ac.uk Professor David Uzzell
Department of Psychology
University of Surrey
Email: D.Uzzell@surrey.ac.uk For information about the RELU programme in general, see www.relu.ac.uk/ About zoonotic diseases including Lyme diseaseThe programme team are unable to advise on specifics of Lyme disease or on any medical aspects. Further information is available at the sites listed below. Authorative health protection advice: Information on other aspects of zoonotic diseases:
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