Or...Search this site Home Symptoms Live Discussion Diagnosis Treatment Area Support Library Research Lymelinks Contact Pets & Lyme DONATIONS Drug Info Medical Dictionary Board of Directors      Click on the graphic to vote for this site as a Starting Point Hot Site. -- No Warranties or Representations The data and information presented in this web site are presented in good faith and believed to be accurate. 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. The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, Directors and members are not liable for any direct or indirect damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tortious action arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of information available from this website. Consult a qualified Lyme ( Borreliosis ) Disease literate doctor for medical advice if Lyme Disease is suspect. en français For Physicians Ticks Coinfections Prevention Our Stories Click Here to order our free Lyme Disease Flyer,    Here for our free Lyme Disease Poster ..documents may be copied (to distribute) but edit only for alignment. Read the article in the Grand Forks Herald May 5, 2003 OUTDOORS: It's time for Lyme disease Minnesota officials see 80 percent increase in cases in 2002 By Rona K. Johnson Herald Staff Writer The number of reported cases of Lyme disease rose about 80 percent in Minnesota in 2002, compared with the previous year. There were 867 cases reported in 2002, compared with 461 cases in 2001, according to David Neitzel, an epidemiologist with the Acute Disease Investigations Section at the Minnesota Department of Health. Lyme disease is an illness that affects the skin, joints, nervous system, heart and to a lesser extent, other part of the body. The disease is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is spread to humans and some domestic animals by the bite of an infected deer tick. "The vast majority of those people were exposed between mid-May and mid-July that's the high risk season for Lyme disease," Neitzel said. The ticks are in the area from April through October, but those two periods are the peak season for tick activity. High risk areas The health department list Aitkin, Anoka, Cass, Chisago, Crow Wing, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Washington, Carlton, St. Louis, Houston, Wabasha, Winona and Ramsey counties as areas of the state where a person is most likely to find deer ticks. The ticks need woods and brush to survive, Neitzel said. So it is unlikely to find them in areas with a lot of open farmland, such as the Red River Valley. Veterinarians in Bemidji tested 422 dogs for Lyme disease the last two weeks in April and 86 showed positive for the disease, according to the Associated Press. "I wouldn't be surprised that Lyme disease is found in the Bemidji area because it's on the edge of where we are seeing Lyme disease activity," Neitzel said. Neitzel said that dogs are routinely tested for Lyme disease. "I would expect you would see a higher percentage of infected dogs in a rural setting," he said. The best way to combat Lyme disease is for people to protect themselves from tick bites, especially in the high-risk areas of the state. And, if a person suspects they have symptoms related to Lyme disease, they should seek immediate medical attention. At one time, there was a vaccine for Lyme disease, but it no longer is available, Neitzel said. "It was withdrawn a little over a year ago the company cited declining sales," he said. One of the potential side effects of the drug was arthritis, which might account for its lack of popularity, he said. Neitzel said it's difficult to tell if the ticks will be a problem this summer. "One of the important variables is the weather," he said. "A hot and very dry year will be tough on the ticks. They need the humidity." The deer tick also transmit two other diseases less common than Lyme disease, Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis and babesiosis. In Minnesota, the number of reported cases of HGE has also risen. In 2001, 93 cases of HGE were reported, compared with only 36 cases in 1999. Only five cases of babesiosis were reported in 2001. Rare in North Dakota The risk of getting Lyme disease in North Dakota is rare. North Dakota isn't considered to be a high-risk area for contracting Lyme disease, said Kirby Krueger, an epidemiologist in the North Dakota Heath Department's Division of Disease Control. North Dakota has had eight cases of Lyme disease reported in the state in the past decade, Krueger said. "In all of these cases, we've identified travel to endemic areas where the likely exposure occurred, such as the East and West coasts and parts of Minnesota." But people still should protect themselves from ticks because they carry other diseases including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, he said.