Spring.
In all its glory, the brown slowly fades to green, the blackened
piles of snow magically disappear, it’s time for baseball and
barbecues.
As the creatures in the forest stir, so does a tiny insect,
known as deer tick or black-legged tick. In its nymph state it is
no larger then a period on this paper.
The deer tick is the primary transmitter for Lyme Disease, a
bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. Borrelia burgdorferi is a
spirochete which is a stealthy pathogen that invades the body and
wreaks havoc on every system.
It’s a growing problem in McKean, Potter, Elk and Cameron
counties. Along with Clinton, Clearfield, Centre and Jefferson
counties, all are listed as being “High Risk” for Lyme disease by
the Pennsylvania Department of Health. In 2005, there were 4,042
new cases reported in Pennsylvania. Nationwide, more than 20,000
new cases are reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
each year. Unfortunately, medical testing for Lyme Disease is
woefully inadequate. The CDC admits there may be 10 times as many
new cases each year.
Prevention is the single most important tool we have against
Lyme Disease. Who is at risk? The more time you spend outdoors the
more likely you’ll be bitten by a tick.
Spring time is when the deer tick in its nymph stage of life is
looking for a blood meal. Due to its small size, it feeds unnoticed
accounting for 75 percent of Lyme Disease cases.
Ticks do not fall from above, but stay near the edges of
woodland and grassy areas with out stretched legs waiting for you
to come by. Generally they crawl up the legs looking for a place to
feed.
Insect repellents using DEET work best. DEET is a powerful
chemical and should be used sparingly on small children. Repellent
that contains Permethrin for clothing shoes, and outdoors is also
effective. As with all products, follow the directions on the
label.
Wearing light colored, long sleeves and long pants is a another
tick barrier. Tuck your shirt into your pants, and your pants into
your socks.
This can prevent a tick from crawling up and under your
clothing. Since most people won’t follow these simple steps, doing
a complete tick check and prompt removal of ticks on yourself,
children, and pets is highly effective.
To remove a tick use thin tweezers and grasp firmly as close to
the skin as possible. Pull straight out, and disinfect the area. Do
not use chemicals, petroleum jelly, or a match to remove a tick,
these methods are not effective and could be dangerous.
Limit your exposure to tick infested areas do not sit directly
on the ground, logs, stonewalls or woodpiles. Use a ground cover or
blanket.
When walking near bushes or trees, do not touch them. Walk in
the center of trails. Create at least a 3 foot wide wood chip or
gravel barrier your lawn and the woods. Clean up any leaf litter,
trim trees so your yard gets maximum sun exposure. This will make
your yard a very unfriendly place for ticks to live.
Most of us in this area see deer on a regular basis, but the
deer tick name is a bit of a misnomer. The deer tick feeds
regularly on the White-footed mouse. So even if we don’t have deer
trotting through our yards, most likely we do have the white-footed
mouse. Controlling these animals is another layer of protection
that can be afforded.
Pets are also not immune. Pets in tick infested areas can be
more likely to contract Lyme Disease. Dogs seem to be more
susceptible then cats. Lyme Disease can present with some
similarity to people, including swelling of the joints, lameness,
muscles tremors, lethargy, fever, weakness heart irregularities,
paralysis, seizures and neurological abnormalities. It can also
effect the kidneys and is particularly deadly. Pets can bring ticks
into the home so it is important to check them for ticks and to use
a repellent such as Frontline.
In 2006, according to the Coudersport Animal Health Center, 104
dogs tested positive for Lyme Disease. A total of 23 have done so
thus far this year. A vaccine is available for dogs.
Currently there is no vaccine for people. Though the testing for
Lyme Disease is poor, it is important to make your doctor aware
that you have been bitten. In some cases doctors will prescribe a
course of antibiotics to catch any early Lyme long before it would
even show up on a test.
To diagnose Lyme Disease, doctors rely on the patients symptoms.
The most well known is the “bulls-eye” rash, erythema migrans. Not
everyone gets the rash. Other common early symptoms include
flu-like symptoms, fatigue, chills, fever, headache and muscle and
joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes. Left untreated, or often
misdiagnosed, symptoms will worsen and may include severe headaches
and neck stiffness due to meningitis, shooting pains that may
interfere with sleep, heart palpitations and dizziness and pain
that moves from joint to joint chronic neurological problems
include shooting pains, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
and problems with concentration and short term memory.
