From left to right: The deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) adult female,
adult male, nymph, larva on a centimeter scale (Orange Cty govt website)
Brooke Landau is a 1994 graduate of the University of Rochester. Currently, she is a television personality in the San Diego area. She is also a Lyme Disease survivor. Her story emphasizes the problems that accompany that illness which has become widespread in New York and New England.
Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria and is one of several illnesses carried by ticks. In the case of Lyme Disease, the carrier is the deer tick. The AccuWeather website points out that the deer tick is most infectious in the six weeks before and after the summer solstice, June 21. Lyme Disease can be caught at any time a carrier tick bites, though, so awareness of a bite is crucial.
A deer tick is about the size of a sesame seed, or a bit larger than the period at the end of a printed sentence. According to the Cornell University website, prompt removal of the tick can avoid infection with Lyme disease as well as other illnesses carried by the insect. Their site advises this for tick removal:
Using thin tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull gently and slowly away from the skin. Do not twist, jerk, or pull hard on the tick or you risk leaving the mouthparts in the skin. After tick removal, disinfect the bite wound. If you find yourself scratching the bite consider covering it with a bandage to prevent a secondary bacterial infection. It is a good idea to save the tick in case it is necessary for later identification. Place the tick in a vial. Label the container with a date and note the attachment site of the tick. If you experience a rash, headaches, fever and flu-like symptoms after a recent tick bite consult your physician.
Landau was not diagnosed with Lyme Disease for over seven years. Repeated blood tests were negative, and she was to learn that this was common with testing for the illness. An experimental treatment, performed in her new home state of California, may have cured the illness but she is left with the results of years of treatments for conditions and illnesses she did not have. Here's what she told San Diego Channel 6:
I lost hearing in my left ear, lost my sight, lost my short term memory, I developed spinal meningitis, gallstones, colitis, heart arrhythmia, palpitations, my hair started falling out, I lost weight, I lost a quarter of my body weight and the list just goes on and on.
Preventing a tick bite is the best way to prevent Lyme Disease. The New York State Department of Health has this advice:
- Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in moist and humid environments, particularly in or near wooded or grassy areas. You may come into contact with ticks during outdoor activities around your home or when walking through vegetation such as leaf litter or shrubs. To avoid ticks, always walk in the center of trails.
- Wear long sleeves, long pants and socks. Wear light-colored clothing, which allows you to see ticks crawling on your clothing. Tuck your pant legs into your socks so that ticks cannot crawl up inside your pant legs. Some ticks can crawl down into shoes and are small enough to crawl through most socks.
- Consider using a repellent with DEET (on skin or clothing) or permethrin (on clothing). Repellents containing 20 percent or more DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) can be applied to the skin and can protect up to several hours. Follow product instructions. Parents should apply the product to their children, avoiding the hands, eyes and mouth. Repellents containing DEET should NOT be used on infants under two months of age. Products containing permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear, which can remain protective through several washings.
- Perform daily tick checks. Check your body for ticks after being outdoors, even in your own yard. Conduct a body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas by searching your entire body for ticks. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body and properly remove any tick you find. Parents should conduct daily body checks for ticks on their children.
The Albany Times Union in a recent article about Lyme Disease in New York State talked with Jim Grady, a former patient with this illness. He underwent a six month course of antibiotics to treat his chronic Lyme Disease. The diagnosis of chronic Lyme Disease is controversial, and the current position of national medical bodies is that it is not a separate condition. An on-line search easily suggests that thousands of patients and medical professionals question that position. Grady told the Times Union that about 15% of those with the illness continue to suffer after completion of the standard course of treatment.
The Infectious Diseases Society of America posts its guidelines for the treatment of Lyme Disease on-line.
Both Landau and Grady seem to have recovered from their Lyme disease infections. They both have used their experiences to become advocates for patients with the illness.
The most recent Lyme Disease case counts for New York are not publicly available but the CNYcentral.com website has posted cases in its region. Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties top the list with 42 cases and 21 cases, respectively, in 2010. The early Spring reportedly caused an explosion in the tick population and with that an increased risk earlier in the year for the illness.
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