Reporting for WTOP radio,
Amy Hunter (www.wtop.com) sited a study on
Lyme disease in the United States, the most extensive field study ever undertaken
here. Results were released February 2, 2012, published in the “American
Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.”
Residents of the
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states run the highest risk of contracting it. Primarily
carried by a minute deer tick (Ixodes
scapularis), hardly noticeable on your skin, it measures a sixteenth to eighth inch long, and
transmits a bacterial infection (Borrelia
burgdorferi). Deer are the most common host of adults. Another are
mice.
This study found the
South virtually Lyme disease free, according to Dr. Maria A. Diuk-Wasser, lead
author of the study. “We can’t completely rule out the existence of Lyme
disease in the South,” she says, “but it appears highly unlikely.” Cases
reported there were only in individuals who traveled to areas with high
infection rates. Study the Lyme Disease Human Risk Map (http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/02/ultimate-lyme-disease-map)
to ascertain your vulnerability and amount of protection you require against
this disease.
I’ve had these arthropods
crawling on me, digging in for a blood meal. Fortunately I’ve not had any on me
long enough to cause Lyme disease. Studies indicate that infected ticks must
feed for at least 24 hours before they pose a risk. The best defense is thoroughly
checking your body after walking or playing in areas where ticks dwell.
Where there are deer, there are ticks and they are plentiful throughout Rock Creek Park and
other natural urban areas, like along the C&O Canal. Be vigilant and check
yourself throughout the day when working, hiking or playing outdoors.
Tick environments
include but are not limited to leaf litter, woodpiles, birdbaths and feeders,
forests, tall grasses and high weeds, moist areas and cat and dog fur.
Everyone should familiarize themselves with initial symptoms
– onset of a red bull’s-eye rash, fever, headache, flu-like symptoms and
fatigue. If untreated, Lyme disease can become a serious illness, causing joint
stiffness and neurological problems. Symptoms
can take from three to 32 days to appear. Sometimes early signs never appear or
go unnoticed. Early diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics are the best cure.
It was first identified in 1975 in Lyme, Connecticut. With
approximately 20,000 new cases diagnosed yearly, the CDC (www.cdc.gov) reports that Lyme disease is the
most common vector-borne disease in the U.S., occurring mostly in Northeastern,
Mid-Atlantic, and North-Central states.
Nymphs are infectious
when they acquire the bacteria from the larval stage. The nymph stage is when most
infections occur in humans because the tick can barely be detected. The male is
black and the female dark reddish, like a speck of dirt that doesn't brush off.
The number of tick and insect repellents available has increased,
including botanicals such as BugBand (www.bugband.net). An
informative brochure is available through the State of NY, Department of Health, on Tick and Insect Repellents, (www.health.ny.gov/publications/2737.pdf).
DEET, permethrin and botanicals are discussed. I prefer botanicals,
although sometimes DEET may be necessary in areas of high concentrations of
ticks, but never at more than a 25% solution. Another repellent sometimes used in place of DEET is picaridin.
© 2012 Joel M. Lerner
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