A number of Irish MEPs have welcomed a European Parliament vote calling for better diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
The bacterial infection is one of the fastest growing diseases in the world, spread by ticks, with the HSE estimating that there are up to 200 cases here each year.
Sinn Fein's Lynn Boylan is calling on the HSE and the National Parks and Wildlife Services to roll out a Tick Aware campaign.
Ireland South MEP Sean Kelly says he first heard about the disease over a decade ago in Dingle, County Kerry.
He said: "If they are not removed within 48 hours then they can cause difficulty, the poison can get into your system and it can have devastating effects.
"If it is dealt with early, then it can be treated 100%, but if it is dealt with too late, then it can be fatal. I think the message obviously, here will be to create more awareness of it and then to do more research on how to prevent it."
