June 10, 2021 at 1:12 p.m.

What you need to know about Lyme Disease


Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the northern hemisphere. Approximately 20,000 new cases are reported to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) each year. The CDC acknowledges that 90 percent of cases go unreported. Lyme disease is endemic to much of Minnesota, including Cass and surrounding counties. Most cases of Lyme disease occur in late spring and early summer.

Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of the blacklegged tick which scientific name is Ixodes scapularis. Many people know the blacklegged tick by another common name, the deer tick. You may also hear it called the bear tick. They are all the same tick, but for the purpose of this article, I will refer to them as the deer tick.

The deer tick is much smaller than the wood (or dog) tick. The nymph, or immature tick, is the size of a poppy seed while the adult tick is the size of a sesame seed. It is the nymphs and the adult females that carry the disease. Male ticks will attach, but do not take a blood meal; therefore, they do not transmit Lyme disease. Deer ticks live two to three years and will have three blood meals. The first blood meal occurs during the larva stage. The larva may pick up a disease at this time, but cannot transmit the infection until the second feed which occurs during the nymph phase. The final feed occurs as an adult. It is after this feed that the adult female deer tick lays her eggs and dies. If the ticks did not get their blood meal in the fall, they will go dormant over the winter and seek a meal in the spring. A frost will not kill the deer tick and adults may become active as soon as it is above freezing.

The ticks will attach themselves to deer, but field mice can carry deer ticks too. The disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi which occurs during a tick's blood meal of an affected deer or field mouse. The bacteria live within the affected tick and are transmitted during its bite and attachment to a human or domestic anima. Deer ticks are slow feeders and will feed for three to five days until they become engorged.

Transmission: If the deer tick is infected with the disease it must be attached for 24 - 48 hours before it can transmit Lyme disease.

Signs and Symptoms:

Symptoms can start days or weeks after being bitten. Generally, a characteristic, circular bull's eye rash develops around the tick bite. This rash may show up several days to weeks after the tick bite. The rash has a reddish outer circle and often continues to expand throughout the days. It can feel warm to the touch but is rarely itchy or painful. Some Lyme disease rashes are not typical and can be mistaken for spider bites. Take a photo of the rash when possible. It is important to note that not everyone develops a rash following the bite of an affected deer tick. Therefore, diagnosis should be based on other classic symptoms such as fever, malaise, fatigue, body aches, headaches, pain and flu-like symptoms. These are the early stages of the disease, which if left untreated, can progress to complications and late stage disease that can affect your joints, heart, brain and even your central nervous system.

What If A Deer Tick Bites You?

Prompt removal is the key and makes transmission of the bacteria unlikely. Use a fine tweezers and grasp the tick as close as you can to your skin where it is attached. With firm and steady pressure, pull on the tick backwards until it releases its grip. After removal, wash the area of the tick bite and your hands thoroughly with soap and water or rubbing alcohol. If some of the mouthparts remain in your skin, do not try to dig them out as this may increase infection potential. In time, these parts will work themselves out. If possible, save the tick and make an appointment with your health care provider for a physical exam. Don't take the "wait and see approach" as up to 50 percent of ticks in Lyme endemic areas are infected with Lyme. Once symptoms become more evident the disease may have already entered the central nervous system and can be hard to treat. This is one situation in which an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure.

Practice Guidelines:

Lyme diagnosis is a clinical diagnosis based on symptoms, health history, and exposure risks. Symptoms may or may not include the classic bull's eye rash. Currently, there is no one definitive test for Lyme disease. A positive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and the western blot are two laboratory tests used to help identify Lyme indicators. These tests play a supportive role; however, they may lack sensitivity resulting in a false negative. Because Lyme disease is a bacterial infection, it should be treated promptly with oral antibiotics. Commonly used antibiotics are Doxycycline, Amoxicillin or Cefuroxime. The recommended type of antibiotic and length of treatment depends on the age of the patient, the stage of the disease and which body system is affected.

It is unknown if short term antibiotic therapy is effective in preventing all stages of Lyme disease. Therefore, the duration of antibiotic therapy should be based on each individual situation and clinical response. Also, if the history is unknown or unclear, then recommended antibiotic therapy for early stage Lyme disease should continue for 21 - 28 days. Work with your health care provider to identify the appropriate treatment option if your symptoms persist. Longer antibiotic treatment is an option in effort to prevent the development of chronic Lyme disease. Work with your health care provider to rule out other conditions and seek additional consultations as needed.

The diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease remains controversial because the scientific understanding of this illness continues to evolve and questions remain unanswered. More research is needed and is being conducted by experts around the nation as funds allow. There is not a vaccine for Lyme disease and current diagnostic tests can lack sensitivity. In addition, deer ticks can also carry other tick-borne infections such as Babesia, Anaplasmosis, Bartonella, Ehrlichia and other pathogens which lead to co-infections, making treatment even more difficult and in which a single dose of antibiotics does not cure.

Prevention Is The Best Medicine

The best treatment for Lyme disease is prevention. Be cautious when walking in the woods and avoid bushy and grassy areas. Ticks are usually found from ground level to three feet above the ground. Deer ticks do not like to be out during times of high humidity and will tend to stay down in the leaves. When it is sunny and dry, they crawl up and rest on low-lying brush or grass and 'catch a ride' on a passing animal or person. They cannot jump down off of trees. Ticks do not have eyes. They rely on carbon dioxide, scent, body heat, and other stimuli to find a host.

To reduce your chance of getting a tick-bite:

1) Avoid tick infested areas, when possible. Avoid short-cuts through heavily wooded, tick-infested areas. Stay in the center of paths, avoid sitting on the ground, and conduct frequent tick-checks.

2) Dress properly. Wear light-colored clothing. This allows you to more easily see ticks on your clothing and gives you the opportunity to remove them before they can attach to your skin and feed.

3) Wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. This reduces the skin area exposed to ticks. Also, tuck your shirt into your pants and pants into your socks. This keeps the ticks on the outside of your clothing and thwarts their efforts to crawl onto your skin.

4) Use EPA-approved tick repellents such as Deet. Wash off the repellents when you return inside, and children should always have an adult apply the repellent for them. Use Permethrin spray on clothes or buy Permethrin treated clothing if you need to be in the woods frequently.

5) Conduct frequent tick-checks. This includes a visual inspection of the clothing and skin, followed by a full-body examination in a private location. Shower or bathe immediately after outdoor exposure. Be sure to check the scalp, behind and in the ears, under the armpits and behind any joints.

6) Protect your house and backyard from ticks by using tall fences to keep deer out. Clear out your forest borders of excess brush where field mice can live. Treat your property with tick pesticides.

7) Remember to treat your pets with veterinary products that kill ticks and check your pets for ticks too! Pets can bring ticks in from outside and put you and your family at risk for infection.

For more information on Lyme disease, please contact Renee Lukkason, PHN at Cass County Health Human and Veterans Services at 218-547-1340 ext. 209, or [email protected] or, visit the following professional websites and references: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/lyme/index.html

www.lymediseaseas sociation.org

www.ilads.org

http://www.mnlyme.org

http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/

[[In-content Ad]]

Comments:

You must login to comment.

LONGVILLE WEATHER

WEATHER SPONSORED BY

Events

July

SU
MO
TU
WE
TH
FR
SA
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
29 30 1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31 1 2

To Submit an Event Sign in first

Today's Events

No calendar events have been scheduled for today.

Facebook