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Lyme Disease symptoms vary from person to person. (lymes disease lyme's disease lime disease limes disease)
The data and information presented in this web site are presented in good faith and believed to be accurate regarding Lyme disease (commonly misspelled lymes disease lyme's disease lime disease limes disease) and other related diseases. Any and all liability for the content or any omissions including any inaccuracies, errors, or misstatements in such data or information is expressly disclaimed. The web site is compiled for the sole purpose of informing community members of resources and information pertaining to Lyme Borreliosis Disease and its coinfections. Lyme disease symptoms may vary from person to person.
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Consult a qualified Lyme ( Borreliosis ) Disease literate doctor for medical advice if Lyme Disease is suspect to discuss your Lyme Disease Symptoms.
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http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/050704westnile.shtml
Monday, July 4, 2005
Lyme disease bigger threat than West Nile
By JOSIE HUANG, Portland Press Herald Writer
When Chris Chapman was a girl, playing in the woods was just that, carefree
and spontaneous. But nowadays, the specter of mosquito-borne West Nile virus
and Lyme disease from deer ticks looms over the fun.
"I feel bad for the kids today," said Chapman, a massage therapist in
Portland. "They can't just go out in the woods and play the same way."
Taking a few simple steps this summer, though, can greatly lower the chances
of contracting either disease without hurting the fun quotient, health
officials say.
The best way to reduce bug populations is by clearing the yard. Standing
water in old flower pots and tires that would otherwise serve as a mating
ground for mosquitoes should be dumped out. Brush and old logs, popular
gathering spots for ticks, which like dark, moist areas, should be
discarded.
Using DEET-containing insect repellent or covering up with clothes,
especially at dawn and dusk when the mosquitoes are most active, will ward
off bug bites.
These are not new strategies to Bill Belskis, who uses repellent in his own
back yard.
"Bugs love me so I have to do all that stuff," said Belskis, a computer
technician from Westbrook.
But the state has been stressing the safeguards in a public information
campaign because they can pack a one-two punch.
"It's becoming increasingly clear to us that West Nile virus and Lyme
disease have overlapping prevention strategies," said Dr. Dora Anne Mills,
director of the state Bureau of Health.
Both also can cause serious health problems.
But the similarities stop there. Since the 1980s, Lyme disease has sickened
hundreds of Mainers in increasing parts of the state, making it a bigger
threat than West Nile, which has not infected any humans but garners
attention because it is an emerging disease, Mills says.
"With such a big focus on West Nile virus, some people are not getting the
message about Lyme disease," she said.
Each year, around 200 people in Maine get Lyme disease, a bacterial
infection that left untreated can cause arthritis, neurological problems and
encephalitis, a possibly fatal inflammation of the brain.
Early symptoms of Lyme disease include a red "bulls-eye" rash that slowly
expands within three to 30 days after a tick bite. Fever, joint and muscle
pains may also occur.
Checking the body daily is recommended because transmission of Lyme disease
is unlikely if ticks are removed within 24 hours of a bite. Mills recommends
using tweezers to pull out the tick. Such vigilance can also ward off other
tick-borne diseases such as babesia and ehrlichiosis.
Ticks first emerge in the spring, but are in full swing now.
Summer is also the prime time for mosquitoes, which are plentiful after this
year's soggy spring.
Birds, like humans, contract the West Nile virus from mosquitoes. Since
2001, more than 100 birds in Maine have tested positive for the virus, says
Dr. Kathleen Gensheimer, state epidemiologist. However, the state is the
only one east of the Mississippi River that has not yet confirmed a human
case.
Health officials do not know why Maine has been spared. "I think that could
certainly change any time," Gensheimer said.
She notes that Canadian provinces north of Maine have reported human cases,
so "we can't say it's because we're too far north."
The virus first appeared in the United States in 1999 and has stricken more
than 16,500 people and killed more than 650.
Most people with the virus, though, don't get sick. Symptoms such as aches,
fever and vomiting are more apt to show up in people who are 50 and over or
have weakened immune systems. About one in 150 people develops more serious
symptoms such as paralysis and disorientation.
The virus is spread among people when mosquitoes feed on infected birds and
then bite a human. A number of dead birds in an area could mean that West
Nile is present.
A hotline for reporting dead birds began last week. On Friday, the state
will begin to collect birds for testing if they have not decomposed too
badly, Gensheimer says.
People should not wait to hear whether a bird tested positive in their area
before taking precautions.
"The public should realize that vector-borne diseases are here and will
remain with us in the state of Maine," Gensheimer said.
Gensheimer says there is a much higher awareness of these diseases in other
parts of country that have dealt with them longer than Maine. Chapman, who
used to live in Arizona, has noticed the difference herself.
Moving back to Maine last year, she brought with her the practice of wearing
long pants outdoors and checking herself for ticks, measures she did not
take as a child but are second-nature now.
"You don't want to get so afraid that you don't get out," Chapman said.
"That's no way to live life, either."
- Staff writer Tess Nacelewicz contributed to this report.
Staff Writer Josie Huang can be contacted at 791-6364 or at:
jhuang@pressherald.com
=
Reader Comments
Are you worried about West Nile virus?
GN of Portland, ME
Jul 5, 2005 9:43 AM
We can't worry about everything. Taking precautions is one thing, and it
saves you from those annoying itchy bites anyway, but beyond that there's no
sense in worrying. When I get in the car I put on my belt and drive
carefully, but don't constantly worry that I'll be killed in a crash.
Diseases dangerous to humans have always been around, and always will be,
and they will continue to evolve with us, so we'll just have to live with
it. And Sharon, thanks for pointing that out about the rash, I was thinking
the exact same thing!
Janet Sylvester of Albion, Me
Jul 5, 2005 9:35 AM
I am much more worried about lyme than West Nile. I was bitten in 1991, had
a rash, and was treated for 10 days or so. Three years ago it was necessary
to treat again, and this time it was for one and a half years! Most victims
have to be treated for much longer than that. Thank you for helping with
public awareness - it is truly needed.
Sharon Hawkes of Auburn, ME
Jul 5, 2005 7:00 AM
Thank you for getting the information out about Lyme disease, which is far
more prevalent than the West Nile virus. Lyme may also kill: due to heart
involvement, nervous system involvement, or suicide caused by Lyme-induced
depression and the anxiety of living with a chronic neurological disease.
My only beef with your article is the phrase, "Early symptoms of Lyme
disease include a red 'bulls-eye' rash...." You more accurately should have
said, "Early symptoms MAY include," because most people who have been
infected did not notice a bull's eye rash, and many have no rash at all. I
would hate to see a case of early Lyme not get treated promptly because the
patient didn't see a rash.
To quote Dr. Steven Phillips, President of the International Lyme and
Associated Diseases Society, "If you have always been healthy, then suddenly
seem to be falling apart, suspect Lyme disease."
Regards,
Sharon Hawkes
Dino of Waterboro, me
Jul 4, 2005 1:01 PM
Not worried; I am petrified of the West Nile virus. Of the hundred or so
times mosquitoes will bite me, I'll be lucky to survive the summer. When the
East Nile Virus strikes, it will rival the black plague.
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
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