Earth warming has increased tick populations and suitable living environments. Reported cases of Lime disease are way up in the US.
Symptoms of Lyme disease vary greatly in type and severity. From fatigue and joint pain to various central nervous system disorders. They can be immediate and can reoccur or present decades later.
Incurable. A questionable (tho profitable) vaccine was removed from the market in 2002 because of side effects. Symptom management seems to be the approach, sometimes ongoing.
Current treatment involves antibiotics. Early detection is critical to stop the disease from gaining a “foothold” within you. Because it presents in many different ways, Lyme disease is often misdiagnosed.
Incidence
Last year, two states only (Hawaii, Oklahoma) had no reported cases. The following states have high and a annually increased risks of infection. (CDC)
New England (all)
New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Delaware
Virginia
West Virginia
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Protection
Clothing…some people isolate the clothing they use in the woods from the rest of their lives.
Skin…Picaridin and DEET are used.
Inspection…a careful self or otherwise body inspection after woods exposure is advisable. A metal flea comb for pets works well in your hair and scalp. They can fall on you from above, from trees.
@stevenm, a solid outline on this very serious disease. We encountered a few ticks upon our return from a wooded area several months ago now. After follow up articles indicated the area was having an outbreak of disease caring ticks we’ve not returned to that specific spot.
Thanks for sharing the refresher here…
Hey everyone. Please take the information above seriously. About 15 years ago I unknowingly contracted Lyme disease. It hit me so hard that 4 weeks later my doctor sent me to a hospital emergency room- it was that bad. He didn’t know what was causing my symptoms. Fortunately, it was diagnosed and cured fairly quickly. Since then I have been very cautious during ANY outdoor excursion.
If you are in an endemic area, wearing shorts is a big no no. Wear long pants. Light colored pants are better than dark (like blue jeans) because you can spot the ticks on them more easily. Pay attention to the interface between your socks, shoes, and pants. Make it difficult for the tick to crawl onto your skin.
Thank you, Steven, for posting this information, which we all, when going out in the places we go to photograph, may very well have these tiny little ticks around that are hard to see. I appreciate you listing the states too! I live in North Carolina, but go back to Maryland and visit Virginia to photograph wading birds at a NWR. I will be very careful if I get to go back there this fall.
