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Saint Peter's University Hospital Issues Spring Advisory on Lyme Disease

The disease is transferred by the bite of a deer tick. The most common symptom of the disease is a rash around the bite area that resembles a bulls-eye.

Lyme Disease has not attracted serious media attention in some time, but that does not mean that it doesn't remain a threat to both human beings and animals. Ever since the widespread condition, caused by bacteria carried by ticks, was first identified near the town of Old Lyme, Conn., in 1975, the disease has appeared in states in the Northeastern region of the county, the Northern Midwest, on the Pacific coast, and a form of it is also known in Europe. 

Unfortunately, the disease is still poorly understood by many.

“Many people are confused about it—even physicians,” says Robert W. Tolan Jr., M.D., chief of the division of allergy, immunology and infectious disease at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital.

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A popular misconception is that the ticks carrying the bacteria which causes Lyme Disease are found only on deer: patently false, says Dr. Tolan.

“Not so; other mammals, particularly mice, also harbor the insect. Also, headaches and fatigue are rarely the main symptoms, despite what most people believe,” Dr. Tolan explained. “The most common symptom is the characteristic bull’s-eye rash around the tick bite. People with headaches and fatigue often believe they have Lyme, but it’s usually something else.”

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Most people bitten by ticks carry nothing more than the bull's-eye rash around the area of the bite, but other rare yet very harmful side effects can include partial facial paralysis, meningitis (when the infection spreads to the brain covering and spinal cord) and heart arrhythmia in older adults. Children may experience swelling in one knee joint.

Another incorrect assertion is that Lyme Disease can’t be treated well, which Dr. Tolan also refuted.

“It is hard to diagnose, but there are effective treatments,” Dr. Tolan said. “Laboratory tests that confirm the presence of Lyme can be unreliable, he admits, but antibiotics—administered in case the disease is present —successfully eradicate the bacteria almost 100 percent of the time.”

Lyme Disease is almost never fatal, though the bacteria-carrying ticks also acts vectors for spreading other, more serious diseases. “There are plenty of reasons beside Lyme disease to avoid ticks,” Dr. Tolan says.

A positive is that most people who are bitten by ticks do not contract Lyme Disease, and for the illness to be transmitted from the parasite tick to a host body, it must be attached to the body for at least 24 hours. (To remove a tick, pull it gently with fine-tipped tweezers, then wash the area with soap and water or waterless hand sanitizer and place the tick in a tightly closed container for examination by your healthcare provider or health department.)

Saint Peter's University Hospital asks all to heed these helpful tips:

• Wear long pants, long sleeves and long socks to keep ticks off the skin. Tuck shirts into pants and pant legs into socks or shoes to keep ticks on the surface of your clothing.
• Wear light-colored clothing to make it easier to spot ticks.
• Spray clothing with the repellent permethrin, found in lawn and garden stores. (Do not apply permethrin directly to the skin.)
• Spray exposed clothing and skin with repellent containing 20 percent to 30 percent DEET to prevent tick bites. Carefully read and understand manufacturer instructions when using repellent, especially when using the products on infants and children.
• Avoid wooded areas and nearby shady grasslands.
• Maintain a clear backyard by removing yard litter and excess brush that could attract deer and rodents.
• After being outside, check for ticks, especially in the hairy areas of the body, and wash all clothing.
• Before letting pets indoors, check them for ticks. Ticks may fall off and then attach to humans. Pets can also develop Lyme Disease.
• Take special care to avoid ticks in Lyme Disease areas if you’re pregnant, as infection may be transmitted to the fetus.

Source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

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