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Lyme
What is it?
Lyme disease is an infection caused by a type of bacteria (Borrelia
burgdorferi) that is carried inside deer ticks (not all deer ticks are
infected). Lyme disease can affect people of any age.
How is it spread?
A tick that has the Lyme disease bacteria can pass it on to the humans and
animals it bites. Deer ticks can bite any time throughout the year,
however different stages of ticks are more active in different seasons:
October - May
Be alert for adult ticks - normally the size of a sesame seed, but can be
as big as a small raisin after feeding. In winter, adult ticks are usually
active when the temperature is above 40 degrees F; usually inactive when
ground is snow covered and in temperatures below 40 degrees F.
May - September
Watch for immature ticks - about the size of a poppy seed. One stage of
immature ticks, called nymphs, cause about 90% of all Lyme disease cases.
What are the symptoms?
Early symptoms
May develop within a few days to
a month after the tick bite.
May include: in about half or more of the cases, a slowly expanding rash
usually at the site of the tick bite. The rash usually appears either as a
solid red expanding rash or a central spot surrounded by clear skin
that is in turn ringed by an expanding red rash (looks like a bull’s eye).
On light colored skin, the rash appears reddish; a dark, bruise-like
appearance is more common on dark colored skin. Sometimes multiple rashes
appear and they can be found anywhere on the body.
Other common symptoms, with or without the rash, are flu-like, and may
include fatigue, headache, neck stiffness, pain or stiffness in muscles or
joints, swollen glands, slight fever, and chills.
Later symptoms
May develop within weeks, months or even years after the tick bite in
untreated patients.
May include: nervous system problems (including meningitis, headaches,
paralysis of facial muscles, trouble concentrating and loss of memory),
arthritis (swelling and pain, usually in the large joints, such as the
knee) and heart abnormalities (including irregular heart beat,
palpitations and heart block).
How is it diagnosed and treated?
Diagnosis should be made based on clinical symptoms, aided by lab tests.
Current therapy includes the use of antibiotics. Prognosis is improved
with prompt diagnosis and appropriate, early treatment.
Ehrlichiosis
What is it?
Ehrlichiosis is a tick-borne disease which can be caused by either of two
different Ehrlichia bacteria. Human Monocyctic Ehrlichiosis (HME)
is transmitted by the lone-star tick. Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis (HGE)
is transmitted by the deer tick.
How is it spread?
Ehrlichiosis is transmitted by the bite of infected ticks, including the
deer tick and the lone star tick. Ehrlichiosis cannot be spread from
person-to-person. Anyone can get ehrlichiosis, although the majority of
known cases have been in adults.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of HME and HGE are the same and usually include fever, muscle
aches, weakness and headache. Patients may also experience confusion,
nausea, vomiting and joint pain. Unlike Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain
spotted fever, a rash is not common. Infection usually produces mild to
moderately severe illness, with high fever and headache, but may
occasionally be life-threatening or even fatal. Symptoms usually appear
one to three weeks after the bite of an infected tick. However, not every
exposure results in infection.
How is it diagnosed and treated?
Diagnosis should be made based on clinical symptoms, aided by lab tests.
Patients suspected of having ehrlichiosis should be treated immediately.
Tetracycline antibiotics are usually rapidly effective.
Babesiosis
Is a rare, severe and sometimes fatal tick-borne
disease caused by an infection with a red blood cell parasite. Babesiosis
is seen most often in the elderly or in people with weakened immune
systems. Severe cases of babesiosis can occur in people who have had
their spleen removed.
How is it spread?
Babesiosis is spread by the bite of an infected deer tick. Transmission
can also occur via contaminated blood transfusion.
What are the symptoms?
The disease can cause fever, fatigue and hemolytic anemia lasting from
several days to several months. It may take from one to 8 weeks, sometimes
longer, for symptoms to appear. Infections can occur without producing
symptoms.
How is it diagnosed and treated?
Diagnosis involves examining blood smears and recognizing the
characteristic “ring” form taken by the Babesia parasite within the
red blood cells of the patient. Standardized treatments for babesiosis
have not been developed. However, some drugs used in the treatment of
malaria have been found to be effective in some patients with babesiosis.
Personal
Protection Techniques
1. Tick checks
Removing an attached tick quickly and correctly may reduce your chances of
getting Lyme disease. Check your entire body for ticks each night before
bedtime, or more often when outdoors. Check your child’s body for ticks -
or teach older children how to check themselves. Examine all areas of the
skin, including the groin, backs of the knees, armpits, scalp, and back of
the neck. Look as well as feel for ticks.
2. Dress right to prevent tick bites
When outdoors, stay in open spaces or on well maintained trails. Wear long
sleeves and long pants. Tuck pant legs into socks and shirt into pants.
Wearing light-colored clothing will help you spot a tick more easily.
Check your body for ticks often when outdoors. Before coming indoors,
brush off your clothing.
3. Tick repellents
Consider using a tick repellent - a repellent containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide)
can be used on exposed skin and clothing. Another repellent, Permethrin,
cannot be put on your skin, but can help repel ticks if it is applied to
your clothing. Follow the label directions carefully.
4. Check and protect your pets
Pets that are allowed outdoors can get ticks on their fur and bring them
indoors. A tick attached to your pet will not bite you, but a loose tick
may brush off and seek you as a host. Frequently inspect your pets for
ticks, remove any attached or unattached ticks, and use tick-control
products that your veterinarian recommends.
Tick Removal
An attached tick should be removed correctly as soon as it is discovered.
Removing an attached tick quickly and correctly may reduce your chances of
getting Lyme disease.
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1.
Use fine point tweezers to grasp
the tick where its mouth parts enter the
skin. |
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2.
Pull the tick straight out. Be careful not to squeeze, crush, or puncture
the body of the tick. |
3. After removing the tick, disinfect the area and the tweezers, and wash
your hands.
4. Save the tick and have it identified at the Cornell Cooperative
Extension.
5. Do not try to remove ticks by using
petroleum jelly (Vaseline), lit cigarettes or other home remedies because
these methods may just increase your chance of getting infected.
Tick Identification
Horticulture Diagnostic Laboratory
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland
429-7085 (Call for hours)
Fee: $7
Directions
Palisades Parkway North to Exit 14. Get off the exit and bear right. Go to
the traffic light and make a left. The Cornell Cooperative Extension is
the fourth building on the right. Parking is available in rear of
building.
Managing
The Environment
1. Keep your property clean
Leaf litter and brush should be moved as far away from the house as
possible. Prune low-lying bushes to let in more sunlight. Be thorough
about raking up leaves and dead foliage, especially in the fall. Ticks
tend to survive the winter by hiding under leaf litter.
2. Landscape planning
Make sure any plants near your house are not varieties that deer favor.
Your local nursery or the Cornell Cooperative Extension (429-7085) can
provide you with this information. A three foot strip of mulch around the
edge of the yard can help to reduce your exposure to ticks. Ticks prefer
the woodland edge, and mulch will create a barrier which they are
reluctant to cross.
3. Woodpiles
These are favorite places for mice to build their
homes. Keep your wood pile neat, off the ground, and in a sunny area (or
covered) so it remains dry.
4. Stone walls
These should be avoided because they attract small mammals, which
increases the potential for ticks. Do not sit on stone walls, particularly
during the summer months.
5. Lawns
Shaded lawns can help support a tick population. Mow lawns regularly, and
trim the edges. Prune trees to allow more sunlight in.
6. Bird feeders
Birds can harbor infected ticks. Make sure the ground below the feeder is
bare and that the feeder is not too close to your house. Clean up the
ground around the bird feeder regularly to limit any food available to
rodents.
7. Fences
Building an 8-foot-high deer fence can keep deer out of your yard, but it
won’t help with smaller mammals and birds.
8. Chemical controls
If ticks are abundant on your property, consider the use of pesticides.
Just one application a year (in late May or early June) of an approved
pesticide may greatly reduce the nymphal tick numbers on your property.
Consider hiring a professionally trained pesticide applicator.
Call the Cornell Cooperative Extension (845-429-7085) for more information
on managing the environment.
For general information on Lyme disease or to request a
free packet of Lyme disease educational materials, contact:
The Rockland County Health Department
Division of Health Promotion
845-364-2501
For Tick
Identification:
For Diagnosis and Treatment,
Contact:
Your health care
provider, an infectious disease physician, or call the Lyme Disease
Practice at the Westchester Medical Center, (914) 493-8425.
Additional Information:
www.nyhealth.gov/diseases/communicable/lyme/
General
information on Lyme and other tick-borne diseases with a variety of
downloadable Lyme educational items.
www.nyhealth.gov/publication/4208/pdf/4208.pdf
A
booklet of publications available from the NYDOH. Go to page 30 of this
booklet to find Lyme disease publications that you can order.
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/
Lyme and
other tick-borne disease information available here, the Lyme disease
homepage on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Includes links to the Tick Management Handbook from the Connecticut
Agricultural Experiment Station.
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/lymeDisease/PDF/LymeDisease.pdf
National
Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of health & Human Services. A
downloadable booklet, “Lyme Disease - The Facts, the Challenge” is
available at this site.
http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/ento/TickEd.htm
United
State Center for health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, Entomological
Sciences Program -The Tick–Borne Disease Education page has several
informative fact sheets regarding tick borne illnesses.
http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/
Lyme
Disease Association news and updates. Lyme educational materials
available to order or download. Pictures of “bulls-eye” rashes”
available to view.
http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/regulation/index.html
New York
State pesticide information, including rules and regulations.
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