A Bury councillor has fired a warning to residents after she "became very ill two weeks ago" and contracted Lyme disease.
Radcliffe North and Ainsworth representative Jo Lancaster has warned people about the bacterial infection in a video posted online.
She said she believes she got a bite while walking in the Ainsworth or Little Lever area of Bolton and urges others to "wear long trousers or insect repellent if you’re going on walks in the countryside".
Cllr Lancaster said: “I became very very ill two weeks ago and had been bitten on my leg by a tick.
“I went to two local hospitals in the area that dismissed the issues with my leg and I ended up going to North Manchester (General) Hospital because they had an infectious disease department.
“It turns out I've got Lyme disease from the tick bite which can be very serious if not treated properly.”
When contracting the infection some people get flu-like symptoms a few days or weeks after they were bitten by an infected tick.
The NHS website says you should see a GP if you've been bitten by a tick or visited an area in the past three months where infected ticks could be.
This also stands for those with flu-like symptoms such as feeling hot and shivery, headaches, aching muscles, feeling sick, or a round or oval shape rash.
Cllr Lancaster also said in her video that Lyme disease can make you “very poorly and is definitely not worth it” if you can avoid it.
After two weeks of "recuperating", the councillor is feeling much better after having received medication from the hospital and encourages any residents with casework or queries to contact her.
If you think you may have recently been bitten then you should visit the NHS website, call 111 or speak to your doctor. You can find the NHS website on Lyme Disease here.
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