Avoid Lyme Disease This Summer

                                                  Avoid Lyme Disease This Summer

            This tick borne disease is the most common illness transmitted by bite in the US. In 2009, there were 30,000 confirmed cases. The black legged tick (deer tick) is the size of a poppy seed when it is immature. This tick and the western black legged tick contain the bacterium Borrelia Burgdorferi. Northern states and the northern plains states are at high risks for exposure. Late spring and summer are the times of year when ticks are at their prime. Lyme disease can and has been diagnosed here in Georgia. In Northeast Cobb County, there are many families that travel to these high risk areas. Always tell your health care provider if you have traveled recently because contagious diseases are always considered as potential risks associated with travel.

            The tick must be attached to the skin for greater than 36 hours before the bacteria can be transmitted. The signs and symptoms include the following:

1. A red expanding rash that looks like a bull’s eye with a red center. This center is the area of the actual bite. The average time it takes for the bite to be a red rash is about seven days. (It can range from 3 to 30 days.) This rash can also appear on other parts of the body.
2. Fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes are common.
3. Bell’s Palsy which is a loss of muscle tone on one side of the face can occur.
4. Headache or stiff neck can be due to meningitis.

            Late stage Lyme Disease can cause joint pain and swelling, intermittent arthritis, numbness in the hands and feet, and even short term memory loss. I have heard of a child having died because of Lyme Disease. She presented in the Emergency room with the tick still attached to her scalp and she had symptoms for weeks before seeking medical attention.

Treatment:

            The diagnosis is based on symptoms and a history of exposure to a tick or possible exposure to a tick in an endemic area. The endemic areas range from Maine down to Virginia and the upper Midwest. A blood test can be preformed, but in the initial stage, the antibody count can be low, which can lead to a false negative result. Early detection usually means rapid and complete recovery. Antibiotics are the treatment. In children 8 or older, doxycycline is the drug of choice. In children less than 8, amoxicillin is recommended. If your child is allergic to these antibiotics, erythromycin or cefuroxime can be substituted. These medications will be prescribed for 14 to 21 days.

            Preventing Lyme Disease is by far better than treating it. Here are some tips to avoid this troublesome illness.

1. Wear long pants and long sleeves in questionable areas.
2. Use Deet products and repellents appropriately.
3. Cut lawn, clear tall grasses from the periphery of your home.
4. Avoid stacking wood near play areas because wood attracts rodents, which carry the fleas that contain the bacteria.
5. Inspect your child’s body for ticks especially the behind the ears and scalp.
6. Inspect your animals for ticks since ticks can jump onto humans.
7. If you find a tick, you can remove it with a fine tweezers. Do not jerk it out.  Slowly and steadily grasp the tick at the area closest to the skin and pull it out in a straight direction. You do not want to leave the head of the tick imbedded in the skin. Clean your hands and affected skin with rubbing alcohol. Do not use petroleum jelly, nail polish remover, or cigarettes to kill a tick.  

   Enjoy your time outdoors but play safely. If you would like to know if there are any outbreaks of Lyme disease in your area, you can log on to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. The web address is www.cdc.gov/lyme/