3/14/2006 Poughkeepsie Journal Article on Ticks & Lyme Disease

[Kevin A. Boyce]

I thought that you all maybe interested in this article, especially since the AT goes through some notoriously bad tick areas. In my own experience, I have only found ticks on me when I have been on the AT... Never when hiking or climbing any where else here in the North East... I guess ticks are natural born thru hikers... LOL
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http://www.pojonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...22/1006/NEWS01

Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Weather change brings out ticks
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By Dan Shapley
Poughkeepsie Journal

With warm weather inspiring spring fever in the Hudson Valley, people should remember to take precautions to avoid being bitten by ticks.
The blood-sucking arachnids can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis.
"I'm constantly reminding people as soon as it gets above 40 degrees, they should be alert and aware," said Patricia Smalley, a Clinton resident who had one of the first documented cases of Lyme disease in Dutchess County and now runs the Mid-Hudson Lyme Disease Support Group. "I'm finding ticks on my cats right now. They're definitely out there."
In the past decade, 17,530 cases of Lyme disease were reported in Dutchess, which for years has had one of the highest incidence rates of disease in the country. Lyme disease is the most common of the three tick-borne illnesses present in the Hudson Valley.
Symptoms of all three illnesses can resemble the flu, with achiness, chills, fever and fatigue. Lyme often produces a bulls-eye shaped rash. All can be treated with antibiotics, and the malaria-like babesiosis can be treated with malarial drugs and quinine.
Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to recovery, particularly for Lyme disease. If not treated effectively, Lyme can be debilitating, with arthritis-like pain, heart problems and neurological damage. Long-term treatment is costly and controversial, complicating insurance coverage.
Studies in progress
Dutchess will spend $50,000 this year to continue studies that will improve scientists' ability to predict the years and parts of the county that pose the highest risk to residents.
Research at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook has defined several of the key factors that increase the incidence of Lyme disease.
Some are natural, such as the abundance of acorns dropped from oak trees. The acorns feed white-footed mice that carry the Lyme bacteria in their blood. Ticks are born disease-free, but can transmit disease after acquiring the bacteria in their first blood meal.
Other factors are influenced by humans. Sprawling housing development increases disease by carving forests into small patches where mice and deer thrive, setting the stage for an abundant and infected tick population in close proximity to people's homes.
"The better able we are to understand what causes this variation in time and space, the better we should be able to avoid infected ticks and reduce cases of Lyme disease," said Rick Ostfeld, an animal ecologist at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Ostfeld leads research into the ecology of tick-borne diseases.
"Right now," he said, "prevention seems to be one of the most effective ways of reducing the burden of this disease."
Dan Shapley can be reached at [email protected]

[The Cheat]

Thanks, saw that this morning. Almost makes me dread spring. Gonna just saran wrap the whole house and come back out when the temperature drops below 40 degrees.

[The Hog]

Keep in mind that Lyme Disease is just one of many tick borne illnesses. It's the tip of the iceberg. The long list includes Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Erhlichiosis, Babesiosis, and Q Fever. All of them are nasty and can be fatal in a small percentage of cases. A common misconception is that these are only found out West.

[The Cheat]

Keep in mind that Lyme Disease is just one of many tick borne illnesses. It's the tip of the iceberg. The long list includes Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Erhlichiosis, Babesiosis, and Q Fever. All of them are nasty and can be fatal in a small percentage of cases. A common misconception is that these are only found out West.

You are correct, and I believe it does mention some of those in the article. I'm just particularly wary of Lyme Disease having had it a number of times. My kids have also had it and my wife suspects she has it now.

The Millbrook Ecology Institute mentioned in the article above is where my kids went to summer camp last year, but we were prepared and they didn't get any ticks on them. My son had Lyme disease last summer but he apparently got it while we were camping at Mills-Norrie State Park. We discovered he had it while he and I were camping at Nooteeming - he came down with a very high fever while the temperature was in the 90's. Boy was he miserable.

[gregdog]

Hello All, glad I searched WB and found this thread. I have recently returned from hiking the AT in the GSMNP. I did not even see a tick, none on me or my boys, nor did I hear anyone on the trail speak of ticks. One week after I returned home I ran a high fever and felt like I had the flu. I went to the Doc and they ran a blood test for bacteria, which came back negative. I told them I had just come back from Hiking in the mountains. Now, three weeks after the trip I have soreness in all my joints, ankles, knees, fingers, shoulders, and neck. Started this past weekend. I e-mailed my Doc this morning to see if the blood test they ran would have caught Lyme, or if I need to go back for another test......could just be nerves but......don't want to mess around with this. Any imput from hikers appreciated. I'm thinking I would have found a tick on me or a bite site if it was Lyme. (don't know for sure)
thanks, greg

[Kerosene]

Gregdog, ask your doctor for a round of antibiotics, just in case. It's not uncommon to get false negatives for Lyme Disease. Also, not all tick bites result in a bulls-eye rash.

[Vi+]

Kevin,

You provided an article (Post #1) which advised, “(Ticks) can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis.”

I wasn’t familiar with BABESIOSIS, so I looked it up. “Babesiosis” didn’t make a lot of sense to me, with all that medical jargon. I looked elsewhere and found out “miosis” is a severe contraction of the pupil of the eye. “Babesiosis” must, therefore, cause good looking honeys to endure severe contractions. I certainly don’t want to cause any of that.

Thanks for the heads up.