Lyme Disease Awareness Month

The month of May has been proclaimed as Lyme Disease Awareness Month!

As warm weather arrives and people spend more time outdoors, it becomes more important to acknowledge the impact of Lyme disease in our community, especially with the recent events in the Lehi, Utah neighborhood. However, residents who are aware of the threat can easily take steps to protect themselves. I was completely unaware of the existence of this disease 15 years ago when I unsuspectingly crossed paths with this mysterious malady.

Lyme disease is a serious bacterial infection that is commonly misunderstood. There is a widespread misperception that Lyme disease is rare or nonexistent in Utah. However the tick that spreads this disease can be carried by deer, squirrels, rodents, birds or even family pets, which means virtually no place is safe from the potential of infection.

Early indications of infection of Lyme disease can include a bull’s eye rash and flu-like symptoms. If treated immediately and appropriately, Lyme disease can usually be cured. If Lyme disease is misdiagnosed or goes untreated, it can cause long-term health problems, including neurological disorders, memory loss, crippling muscle and joint pain, disabling fatigue, psychological disorders or even death. Inflammation is a “bonfire” produced by the immune system in reaction to allergies, infections, poor diet, chemicals, heavy metals, and intestinal dysbiosis. It is the inflammatory response that produces many of the symptoms of Lyme disease.

Lyme Disease Points to Ponder:
1. Lyme disease is much more common in Utah than people realize.
2. There are documented cases of individuals (and entire families) who contracted Lyme disease while camping in our local mountains.
3. There is a Lyme Disease support group in Utah that meet every month to provide to provide patients and families with support and education.
4. There are VERY FEW Lyme literate healthcare providers in Utah. Many patients are forced to go out of state for treatment.
5. Lyme disease is the most widespread vector-borne disease in the USA and is a major problem worldwide. Ticks know no borders and respect no boundaries. A patient's county of residence does not accurately reflect his or her Lyme disease risk.
6. In 2007, 27,244 cases of Lyme disease were reported to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). That is 2,287 cases per month, 571 cases each week, 77 cases per day, and 3 people each hour.
7. Lyme disease is under-reported. Of the reported cases only approximately 23,000 per year meet the strict criteria. The CDC has gone on record saying that they estimate the official cases reported may be 10% of the total number of cases that would be accepted if all cases were reported, so 230,000 new cases per year is likely the reality.
8. Fewer than 50% of patients with recall a tick bite. In some studies this number is as low as 15% in culture-proven infection with the Lyme spirochete. Adult deer ticks are about the size of sesame seeds.
9. Lyme disease has been frequently misdiagnosed, especially in absence of the rash, as MS, ALS, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Autism, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and others. Lyme disease is often referred to as “The Great Imitator,” as it can virtually imitate any symptom of any disease.
10. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disorder in the United States. Lyme disease can affect the joints, nervous system, heart, skin, and eyes.

Reducing Your Exposure to Ticks—Your Best Defense: 

1. Avoid Tick Infested Areas: Ticks prefer wooded and bushy areas with tall grass and leaf litter. When you do enter tick areas, walk in the middle of trails to avoid contact with overgrown grass, bushes, and leaf litter.

2. Dress Appropriately: Wear long pants, long-sleeve shirts, and long socks to keep ticks off your skin. Wear white or light-colored clothing making it easier to spot ticks. Wear a hat and tie back long hair. Always wear shoes (no bare feet or sandals). Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and tuck shirts into pants to help keep ticks outside of clothing. Taping the area where your pants and socks meet can prevent ticks from crawling under clothes. Do not sit directly on the ground or near stone walls.

3. Tick Repellents: Spray tick repellent on clothes and shoes before entering areas infested with ticks.

4. Check for Ticks: Perform daily tick checks after being outdoors, even in your own yard. You should also inspect your pets. Carefully inspect all parts of your clothing, skin, and body including: armpits, back of the knee, nape of the neck, navel area, scalp, and groin area. Remove any ticks before they become engorged (swollen with blood).



What If I Find a Tick?

1. If you do find a tick imbedded in your skin, do NOT panic. Not all ticks are infected. Infected ticks normally cannot begin transmitting the spirochete (the bacterium that causes Lyme disease infection) until it has been attached for about 36-48 hours.

2. Keep in mind, if you do find a deer tick attached to your skin that has not yet become engorged, it probably has not been there long enough to transmit Lyme disease infection.

3. You should remove a tick immediately! However, improper tick removal increases the chance of the tick transmitting infection. To remove a biting tick, grasp it as close to the skin as possible with fine-pointed tweezers and pull straight out slowly and steadily. Disinfect the bite site and SAVE THE TICK for possible testing. Ticks can be tested easier than humans. 

4. Avoid crushing or squishing the tick's body. Avoid getting tick fluids on your skin.

5. Never use petroleum jelly, mineral oil, matches, nail polish, or other products to remove a tick. Removal methods such as these could actually backfire, causing the tick to excrete or regurgitate out bacteria.

When to Take Antibiotics: (If you answer “yes” to any of the following questions.)

1. Were you in an area where Lyme disease is common when you acquired the tick bite?

2. Was the tick attached for at least one full day?

3. Has it been less than three days since you removed the tick or since it fell off?

4. Do you feel strangely tired, flu-like, or achy all over since you were bitten?