The Season of the Tick
From: JWissmille (jwissmille_at_aol.com)
Date: 07/11/04
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Date: 11 Jul 2004 20:40:37 GMT
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040712-660969,00.html
The Season of the Tick
Lyme disease is nothing to fool with, but it's easily prevented. Here's how
By SANJAY GUPTA
Monday, Jul. 12, 2004
Summer is prime time for Lyme disease, and this summer could be a bad one.
The number of cases doubled from 2001 to 2002, according to the latest
figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mostly as
a result of continued human infiltration of Mother Nature's turf. Carried by
a parasitic tick on mice, deer and household pets, the disease has spread to
43 of the 48 contiguous states - although 12 states in the Northeast and
northern Midwest still account for 95% of reported cases. (Reported cases,
however, may represent only a tenth of the total number of cases, according
to the CDC.)
Lyme disease is nothing to fool around with, especially for those in the
groups at highest risk - children ages 5 to 14 and adults ages 50 to 59.
Caused by a spirochete bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi that is
transmitted via the bite of the so-called deer tick, the disease is usually
accompanied by an expanding bull's-eye rash (at least 2 in. in diameter) at
the site of the bite. Secondary symptoms may include muscle pain, headache
and swollen glands. Left untreated, the bacterium can lodge in various body
tissues (where blood tests may not detect it) and cause fever, sore throat,
severe fatigue, joint pain, tingling or numbness in the extremities and
changes in vision. In late stages, the disease can lead to arthritis,
meningitis, facial drooping, numbness in the hands and feet, and
neurological disorders that can include short-term memory loss, inability to
concentrate or finish sentences, disorientation and confusion.
The good news, according to Erin Staples of the CDC, is that Lyme disease is
almost always readily cured if diagnosed early and treated with a short
course of antibiotics (doxycycline, amoxicillin and Ceftin are most often
recommended). Infection doesn't usually occur until the tick has been
attached to your body for 36 hours. So if you are going into the woods this
summer, wear shoes, socks and light-colored clothing; spray your clothes and
skin with an insect repellent that contains DEET; stay on cleared,
well-traveled trails; avoid moist, shady areas covered with leaf litter or
low-lying vegetation; don't sit on the ground or on stone walls; keep long
hair under a cap or tied back; and do a full-body tick check at the end of
the day.
That said, it's also important to keep Lyme disease in perspective. There's
no need to panic. If you take the right precautions, you should be able to
stop worrying and enjoy your summer.
Sanjay Gupta is a neurosurgeon and CNN medical correspondent
- With reporting by Stephanie Smith/New York
>From the Jul. 12, 2004 issue of TIME magazine
Copyright © 2004 Time Inc.
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