Articles & ResourcesLyme Disease
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Deer
tick larva(top)
adult (left) nymph (right) |
Lyme Disease is named for the town of Lyme, Connecticut where in 1975 the unusual signs of adolescent arthritis were reported. In 1978 researchers discovered that the Disease which caused adolescent arthritis was actually transmitted by the deer tick.
Lyme Disease is a bacterial
infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and spread to humans
by ticks. Ticks (a parasite) survive by finding a host (another animal)
to feed on its blood. While not all ticks carry Lyme Disease, in New
England the black-legged tick, more commonly known as the deer tick,
can transmit the bacterial infection to other animals including humans.
White-footed mice are the most common carriers of Borrelia burgdorfei. Deer ticks typically feed on infected white-footed mice and are then able to transfer the infection to the next animal it chooses as its host. Lyme Disease can not be transmitted from human to human unless by a blood transfusion. Studies show that an infected tick must be attached for 36 hours to transfer the bacterial infection to its host.
Knowing a little bit about ticks is an important defense against becoming a host. Ticks are related to the spiders and enjoy warm weather. Larval deer ticks are extremely small, can be found from May to August and like to hide in shady, moist ground litter. Adult deer ticks are slightly bigger and can be found on tall grass, brush and shrubs. They can also be found in lawns, gardens and near stone fences. Deer ticks cannot jump, fly, or drop from above onto passing animals. Ticks can crawl and will do so to find flesh to feed on.
An attached tick does not automatically mean you have contracted Lyme Disease. Remember, not all deer ticks are infected and if the tick is not engorged with blood it has probably not had time to transfer the infection. If you suddenly develop an extremely high fever, you should see a doctor immediately to determine if you have the most severe form of the infection. Lyme Disease first affects the skin and if untreated it can spread to joints, nervous system and other organs. Early signs of the most common form of Lyme Disease are a bull-eyes rash usually formed around the sight of a tick bite, fever, headache, and muscle or joint pain. When detected early, Lyme Disease can almost always be completely cured with antibiotics.
If
you find a tick you should safely remove it. For the correct removal
of a tick you will need a pair of pointed precision (unrasped fine-pointed)
tweezers. Grasp the tick by the head or mouth parts near the point
of attachment to the skin with the tweezers; do not grasp the tick
by the body. Firmly pull the tick outward from the body. It is important
not to twist, or jerk the tick. Do not apply petroleum jelly, a hot
match, or alcohol in an attempt to force the tick to back out of the
skin. When out of the body, kill the tick by placing it in a jar with
alcohol. Make sure the head is completely removed from the skin and
the area of the bite is disinfected.
After removing a tick it is important to keep an eye on the bite. It can take anywhere from 3 to 30 days before the early symptoms of Lyme Disease will appear. If a rash, fever or joint pain appears, make an appointment with your doctor immediately to get a professional opinion about treatment.
As global temperatures increase so does the incidence of Lyme Disease. In April 2006 abcnews.com published an article discussing how warmer temperatures increase the Diseases spread by insects. The article stated that with milder winters more deer ticks reproduce year-round and with the increase of deer ticks comes the increase of the spread of Lyme Disease. They also reported that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated the number of diagnosed cases of Lyme Disease has increased from 11,700 in 1995 to 21,304 in 2005. According to an article published at washingtonpost.com in May 2006, there is real concern that global warming is fueling the spread of insect Diseases in areas of the world that are not prepared for the rise.
The prevention of Lyme Disease does not require spending the summer inside but to be aware of some precautions you can take. When spending time outdoors or near areas where deer ticks are located you should wear light colored clothes, check clothes and exposed skin for ticks, correctly use insect repellent containing DEET, avoid sitting on rock walls, keep long hair back and at the end of the day do a full body check of yourself, your children and pets.
For more in depth
information about Lyme Disease please visit these websites:
American
Lyme Disease Foundation
Center
for Disease Control
University
of Connecticut
Lyme
Disease Association
A National Tick Removal Kit from American Red Cross, Greenwich chapter and Time for Lyme, Inc. can be purchased for $10 by filing out an order form at this website http://www.lymeDiseaseassociation.org/TickKitForm.doc.
