A SCHOOLGIRL from Whitefield has been left seriously ill and may never recover – after being bitten by a tick.

Danielle Fisher, of Raglan Avenue, was a normal, bright and cheerful 13-year-old girl until last October when she developed a mystery condition that has only recently been diagnosed.

Her mother, Dominique (pictured right with Danielle) and a support group are urging people to be aware of what to do if they think they have been bitten by a tick, which is a tiny bloody-sucking parasite.

“It has sapped us both emotionally,” she said.

“Danielle is just forever frustrated because she is thinking ‘why out of everyone did this happen to me?’ I am just frustrated that, had there been more information available about borreliosis, we would have had a diagnosis sooner and been able to treat it with antibiotics.”

Danielle’s ordeal began eight months ago when she started suffering from headaches and fatigue.

The meningitis-like symptoms got worse and her eyes became ultra sensitive to light while her headaches turned to severe migraines.

At this stage, Danielle’s family had no idea what was causing her to be poorly and neither did the experts.

When the pain became unbearable, Danielle was rushed into hospital and doctors thought she might be suffering from costochondritis, which is an inflammation of a cartilage that can also set off a viral infection.

But despite taking medication, things got even worse for Danielle, who studies at King David High School.

Dominique said: “She began suffering from vertigo and shortness of breath. We had no idea what was causing it or what we could do.

“We went back to the hospital and they said she had glandular fever. She was in and out of hospital between October to January and missed a lot of time at school, but we were more frustrated at the lack of an appropriate diagnosis.”

It wasn’t until April that Danielle was properly diagnosed. A professor based in the North East discovered she is suffering from borreliosis, also known as Lyme disease, which has a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms and is spread by tick bites.

The disease is so rare, it is not even recorded in England and Wales.

“We are relieved and frightened at the same time. Danielle is literally bedridden. She can barely walk because she is so weak and she gets tired really easily. It is staggering that this has been caused by one bite,” said Dominique, who, as a single parent, has had to take lots of time off work to care for her daughter.

She added: “Thankfully, she is now on a course of treatment and we are just hoping as much as we can that she will get better.

“On one extreme, she could be better in weeks and on the other extreme, she might always be like she is now.”

At the moment, Danielle takes antibiotics intravenously for an hour a day at home and, because she is too weak to go to school, she has a home tutor.

Danielle said: “I have felt a slight improvement since I’ve been on this medication, but I think it is important that I have been misdiagnosed in the past when I should not have been.

“My friends have been really supportive and my main hope now is that I get better, though I know there are no promises as to when it will happen.”

Dominique added: “We’ve had tremendous support from the school and the council who have arranged the tutor and all Danielle’s friends have been wonderfully supportive.”

FACTFILE: Lyme disease, or borreliosis, is spread when barely-visible blood-sucking ticks transmit harmful bacteria to humans.

Early symptoms may include fever, headache, fatigue, and a skin rash.

If it isn’t treated, it can get worse and cause painful joints.

In a majority of cases, it can be cured with antibiotics, Delayed, or inadequate treatment can lead to chronic Lyme disease that can be disabling.

According the Borreliosis & Associated Diseases Awareness UK support group (BADA) there are simple steps you can take to guard against tick bites, remove ticks safely from your skin and spot the symptoms early.

When walking, wear clothing that covers the skin Walk in the centre of paths. Avoid overhanging vegetation at the edge of paths where ticks may be waiting.

Keep pets tick free using sprays available from vets When removing ticks, use tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the host’s skin as possible and pull upward with steady, even, pressure. Do not twist, jerk or crush the tick or handle it If you suffer from any of the above symptoms, do not hesitate to visit your GP or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

For more details, visit bada-uk.org