The intergovernmental organization European Space Agency (ESA) has backed a Scottish project that is planning to use a new technology to map blood-sucking tick hotspots and fight disease. According to reports, the space agency has been helping the project financially.

As per reports of NHS Highland, the ticks have been associated with an increase in Lyme disease in human beings in last one decade. If ticks are not treated at the right time then it could result into neurological problems as well as joint pain long time later.

The reports stated that the space agency in Europe has given about £180,000 to the mapping effort as a grant. The project that is aimed to map tick hotspots and fight disease involves the University of the Highlands and Islands, NHS Highland and Scotland's Rural College. According to the reports, the project will examine the new web-based technology.

The health board said, “The methods developed to map ticks could have other adaptations and international appeal.”

According to experts, ticks are small arthropods that are linked to spiders, scorpions and mites. Britain has a number of species of them. A number of people are most likely to come across sheep ticks, which eat mammals and birds. Ticks have been linked to the increase in Lyme disease in human beings in last 10 years. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that could be spread to humans by infected ticks.

The disease’s diagnose cases could be treated with antibiotics. If the disease is not treated at right time, then it could lead to neurological problems and joint pain that develops years later. According to the reports, health professionals and campaigners are going to launch a joint initiative to tell people about highlight the risks of the disease.