The Wichita Eagle: Beware Lyme disease, West Nile in fall, too
- From: "CaliforniaLyme" <CaliforniaLyme@xxxxxx>
- Date: 22 Aug 2005 08:54:25 -0700
Posted on Mon, Aug. 22, 2005
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/living/
Creepy crawly carriers
Beware Lyme disease, West Nile in fall, too
BY KAREN SHIDELER
The Wichita Eagle
Feeling bugged? You should be.
"We're in the big months for the culex mosquitoes," said Ludek Zurek,
an assistant professor in the entomology department at Kansas State
University. Mosquitoes of the genus Culex are most likely to carry West
Nile virus.
If that thought's not enough to make you itch, consider some other
offenders:
· Ticks, which like hot temperatures and moisture. "It's definitely a
good year for ticks," Zurek said.
· Itch mites, which caused intense itching problems for people in
southeast Kansas beginning in late August last year
· Chiggers, which like to hang out in grassy or weedy areas
· Brown recluse spiders. Inside, they like closets and other dark
areas. Outside, they favor old bricks and concrete blocks, loose bark,
logs, and other seldom-disturbed debris.
Zurek said this year doesn't seem to be better or worse for any
particular pest, but he did remind Kansans that some insects can cause
disease as well as being a nuisance, and that summer bug season isn't
over.
West Nile virus hasn't been much of a problem this year, he said. Only
three human cases had been reported in Kansas as of Tuesday, the most
recent report.
"Why it is lower this year, it's really hard to tell," he said,
suggesting that immunity in those exposed in earlier years combined
with increased awareness might be responsible.
There's no shortage of mosquitoes, and several Kansas counties have
found mosquitoes that tested positive for West Nile virus. In previous
years, August and September have been big months for West Nile virus
problems. Mosquitoes can carry other diseases as well.
Ticks also can carry disease. In Kansas, the greatest risks are Rocky
Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. Zurek said the risk of
tick-borne diseases is fairly low, but if symptoms develop, it's best
to see a doctor. Lyme disease symptoms can include a red ring lesion on
the skin, fatigue, fever and chills. Rocky Mountain spotted fever
symptoms can include fever, chills, and muscle and joint pain.
This year is a good one for ticks.
"What ticks like are high temperatures -- and we definitely have that
now -- and they like it moist," Zurek said.
Itch mites agonized people in southeast Kansas last year, but Zurek is
hoping Kansans will be spared this year.
"We've been monitoring for itch mites since May here in Manhattan, and
down around Crawford County" as well as in Nebraska, where itch mites
were reported last year.
"So far, we've gotten few positive samples," Zurek said. "They are out
there, but the population is very, very low."
Itch mites and chiggers, which are "a major nuisance," don't transmit
disease, Zurek said, but can make a person miserable.
You can tell which was the culprit by where the bites are: Itch mites
bite in a place that was bare or covered by loose-fitting clothing.
Chiggers prefer "tight" places, such as at waistbands or in the skin
folds of the knees or armpits.
Zurek said Kansas has "a huge population of brown recluse spiders" but
the number of people bitten is low in comparison because the spiders
aren't aggressive and bite only when they feel threatened.
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