From an article in the StarTribune about a study based on actual collection of ticks:
The map, which pinpoints areas of the eastern United States where people have the highest risk of contracting Lyme disease, is part of a study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene...Pants legs tucked into my socks virtually every time I hike.
Previous risk maps were heavily reliant on reports of human infections, but those can be misleading because the disease is both over- and under-diagnosed, according to the study. Where someone is diagnosed is not necessarily where the disease was contracted, and ticks may live in a region long before they actually infect someone, meaning there could be a significant risk even without confirmed cases...
About 1 in 5 ticks collected were infected — more than researchers expected — and that percentage was fairly constant across geographic areas, she said. Researchers had expected the infection rate to vary.
Oh, they are exactly right about the over- and under-diagnosed part. That is interesting in itself. There are people who get diagnosed with the bite or symptoms, and then people who have a whole bunch of symptoms and appear to be suffering and consider themselves to have chronic Lyme. That along with this whole "Lyme-literate doctors" thing online and people stalking doctors, doctors getting their license revoked for prescribing long-term antibiotics to Lyme patients...it's all a mess.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease#Harassment_of_researchers
I got Lyme disease in East TN...had the rash, had a photograph of the rash, had symptoms like aching joints in my hands and knees, was experiencing lots of confusion. The infectious disease doctor here wouldn't see me unless I had taken a specific test and tested positive. The test the clinic gave me was different and came back negative. He said there was a study done at some point in history of hundreds of ticks here, and none of them had Lyme. I'm assuming he also kept this policy for people saying they had Lyme because Lyme is a very politicized disease. It is treated a lot like how MS, chronic fatigue, and rheumatoid arthritis are treated... people will doubt you and say you're faking it and act like you're trying to get attention (this from most of the accounts I've read online). I, personally, am so torn about chronic Lyme because I know people are genuinely suffering, but it turns Lyme into a wastebasket category. Anyway, that was probably the worst part for me -- feeling like no one believed me and that I was crazy. I even showed a relative who is a doctor, and they insisted it couldn't be Lyme because no one here got it. It doesn't help that people say the tick has to be stuck on you for like 24 hours or something ridiculous for Lyme to be transmitted.
The doctor at the walk-in clinic prescribed antibiotics "just in case" what I had was a tick bite from a tick with Lyme. Disease maps are helpful, but if it hadn't been for a friend who grew up on the East Coast and saw my intriguingly-weird-rash photo I posted online in jest, I wouldn't have even known about Lyme. Rash ended up turning blueish and then dissipating like pics of the rashes I've found online.
Anyway, now I'm symptom-free, but if anyone out there sees this, know that two weeks of antibiotics is safe and should get rid of all them troublesome spirochetes burrowing into your brain and bones. Bleh. Pants tucked into socks is a really good idea.
I read your blog so much. There is a ton of stuff concerning Lyme that you could put on here...ugh. It is a weird one -- just the whole social stuff around it! Readers, you definitely don't want to get tangled up in this mess, so please, tuck in them socks! I am stupid and from Hawai`i so I had no idea about Lyme, but it blows.
Lyme disease isn't just in the Northeast by chance. There's a book about Lab 257 that is a great read about the biological "chernobyl" that happened there.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_257
I remember having to remove ticks from our Airedale when we lived in Wisconsin--lots of ticks. But that was before Lyme disease.
ReplyDeleteLyme research is a "honey hole" where funding is concerned. I worked in the field for 5 years and saw little progress but much publicity. The hard fact is that in RI the deer populations are out of control and this vector borne disease relies on the deer and white footed woodmouse for transmission. Our government is not interested in unearthing a major public health issue in a country which denies health care to its citizens. Additionally, Lyme disease is rare in the DC beltway! We need to have some of our lawmakers infected if we're gonna get their attention on the subject.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime take precautions if you live in a Lyme area. Keep mice out of your home and be sure to keep grass and shrubs trimmed. Your pets can provide transportation for the ticks bringing them into your bedroom on their fur. Use insect repellents heavy in Deet when in the fields and forests. Avon "Skin so Soft" is also helpful. Enjoy sharing a "deadly tick check" with your significant other before beddie bye! Simple showering is not effective in removing ticks! Report any bullseye shaped rash to your doctor ASAP since undiagnosed Lyme can lead to serious complications. Northeast US residents should educate themselves about Lyme... do a little research on the web yourself since many doctors are not experienced in Lyme diagnosis.
Call your disfunctional congressman or senator and voice your concern..... (Good Luck With That!!)
Thanks, anon.
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