Lyme Disease and Tick Info

[Thinker]

from a mailing list I'm on:

 

The Pacific Northwest is an outdoor paradise for those

of us who love

nature. As a fellow avid nature lover who enjoys

hiking, camping, and

exploring, I want to take a moment to share some

information which may

help you to avoid and protect yourself against one of

the most feared

and dangerous creatures in our State.

 

Is it a Big Bear? Is it a Slithering Snake?

 

Nope! It's a creature the size of a poppy seed,

namely the creepy crawly Tick!

 

Why are Ticks so dangerous?

 

Ticks can transmit very serious and fatal infections,

such as Lyme

Disease (Borrelia), Babesia, Rocky Mountain Spotted

Fever, and many

other pathogens. There is a myriad of misinformation

and confusion

regarding this threat in the Pacific Northwest. Here

are a few common

myths about Lyme disease and related infections for

you to consider.

 

Myth #1: If you are infected with Lyme Disease

(Borrelia Burdorferi),

you will have a Bulls Eye Rash.

Fact: It is now estimated that less than 40% of people

infected with

Lyme Disease display a bulls eye rash.

 

Myth #2: The ELISA test (most common test used by

family

practitioners) is accurate and reliable.

Fact: It is now estimated the ELISA test is less than

30% accurate and reliable.

 

Myth #3: There is no Lyme disease in Washington state.

Fact: This is simply untrue. The hundreds of members

of our

organization can testify to this fact.

 

To find out more common myths about Lyme Disease,

visit our webpage at

www.walyme.com.

 

Why is there so much confusion about Lyme Disease?

Because it is a

great imitator, and symptoms can range from joint

pain, chronic

fatigue, and flu-like symptoms to meningitis, MS-like

symptoms,

fibromyalgia like symptoms, and many others. For a

full list of

symptoms, visit our website (www.walyme.com).

 

Here are a few general tips to keep you and your

organization safe.

 

BE AWARE OF TICKS: Ticks can drop from trees or

crawl toward a host

when detecting body heat, or carbon dioxide. Ticks

live in trees or

weedy areas. Tall grass, leaf litter, low shrubs,

underbrush, and

field and trail edges are favored. In highly

infected areas, lawns

may have ticks.

 

WEAR LONG SLEEVES AND LONG PANTS: Tuck the legs into

your socks.

Light-colored clothes make it easier to spot ticks.

Wear a hat or

cap.

 

USE AN INSECT REPELLENT: Follow manufacturers

directions. Look for

ones containing 25-35% DEET.

 

INSPECT YOURSELF, YOUR CHILDREN AND YOUR: Check for

attached ticks

after a shower. A shower will not wash off biting

ticks. Be sure to

check hairy areas, the scalp, and behind the ears.

Ticks crawl upward

until they are stopped. Check legs, waistline, bra

line, and armpits.

 

 

How To Remove An Attached Tick

 

ASSEMBLE A TICK KIT containing: pointed tweezers or a

tick-lifting

tool, a magnifying glass, a small vial (a film

container is good), and

an antiseptic. (Our ILDA sells tick kits, see our

Lyme news page for

more information.)

 

REMOVE THE TICK. Grasp the tick firmly by the head

with the tweezers

as close to your skin as possible. Avoid squeezing the

tick's abdomen.

Pull straight out. Don't twist. DO NOT USE a hot

match head, nail

polish or Vaseline on the tick. The tick will

regurgitate and

transmit infection.

 

SAVE THE TICK in a container with a piece of damp

tissue or a blade of

grass. Refrigerate it , mark the date and where the

bite occurred,

and watch for any unusual symptoms in the next 30

days. The tick can

be sent for testing through your doctor's office if

any early Lyme

symptoms develop.

 

 

CHECK WITH A PHYSICIAN as soon as possible.

 

 

To find out more information about Lyme disease

prevention, visit our

website (www.walyme.com). I have attached a copy of

our informational

brochure for you, and encourage you make this

information available to

your members.

 

Thank you for your time, and I hope that this

information can be

useful to you and your organization. If you find this

information and

the information on our website to be valuable, I would

like to suggest

that you place a link from your page to our own so

that together we

can help educate those at risk of contracting Lyme or

related diseases

in the hopes of a healthier future.

 

Sincerely,

 

Megan Anderson

meganba@u.washington.edu

Outreach Coordinator for WA-Lyme

206-354-7867

****************************************

www.walyme.com

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Resource

[matt_warfield]

Thanks for the info. A cursory overview such as this should also describe which ticks are involved with which diseases.

[olyclimber]

Good stuff to know. I had two ticks on me after my recent trip up into the Enchantments when I got home, but thankfully neither had tasted my flesh before I unleashed a can of whoopass on them.

[summitseeker]

I got Lyme Disease last summer after a trip to Wisconsin to visit my family -- ground zero for it. It was nasty, nasty. Fortunately, I had the characteristic bullseye rash and an unexplained high fever. 21 days on Tetracycline kicked it, but left me wiped out and stripped of any good bacteria.

 

I was pretty weak for the first week on the drugs. Walking to the microwave was hard. Still managed to climb the Spectacle buttes though by taking four days -- I felt like a pathetic old man.

 

Catch it early is the mantra. The 2nd and 3rd stages are way nasty.

 

--Scott

[PLC]

I'm from Connecticut, pretty close to Lyme, and I know probably a dozen people who've had Lyme disease. It isn't really a big deal if you catch it early enough. When I got it, I basically developed an unexplained 105 degree fever, was hospitalized, and some doctor from the CDC diagnosed me... it took 5 days in the hospital and I was good as new.

 

The most important thing to remember is that the tick has to be attached for 24 hours, so just check for ticks once a day and you'll be fine.