Posted June 10, 2008
Lyme Disease Update
Warm weather is here and so is concern about Lyme disease, an illness transmitted to humans by a tiny tick
that is found in many areas of Morris County.
The Madison Health Department recommends that residents minimize tick exposure and take appropriate steps if a bite occurs. Lyme disease is both preventable and treatable.
Most people are aware that a tiny tick, Ixodes Scapularis, carries the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Ticks transmit the bacteria to humans by biting and ingesting blood. The ‘blood meal’ is a long process and must take at least 24 hours for a human to be exposed to the bacteria that the tick carries.
Tick skin exposure and bites can be avoided by practicing effective prevention. Staying away from tick habitat such as low brush and bushes, long grass, and ‘fringe areas’ of the forest reduces the risk of tick exposure. Keeping yards free of tick habitat is recommended. Wearing light colored clothing that covers feet, legs and trunk keeps the ticks away from skin and increases the chance of finding the tick before it bites. Repellents with the ingredient DEET (30% or less) may be applied to skin, while products containing permethrin, which kills ticks on contact, may be applied to clothing sleeping bags, sneakers, etc.
To find ticks,
check the body completely, especially the groin, armpits, neck, hairline and
back areas. Remove a feeding tick
with a thin, curved forceps, two credit cards used together as a lift, or a
specially designed tick remover. Grip
the tick close to
If you want to determine if a tick is a carrier of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, contact New Jersey Laboratories at (732) 249-0148.
If an infected, feeding tick stays on the body over 24 hours, then the person being bitten is at risk of contracting Lyme disease. Symptoms of Lyme disease may include an unusual red skin rash from two to thirty days after the bite. About 60% of infected people show some signs of a rash. The rash commonly spreads into a reddish circle or oval about two to three inches across. Larger rashes may also occur. Some rashes have a “bull’s eye” look of concentric circles with a clear center. Other symptoms may include extreme tiredness, a stiff neck, and flu-like symptoms such as headache, chills, fever and muscle aches. A physician should check any of these symptoms if the person has been in a tick area, whether or not he or she remembers being bitten. A negative result on the blood antibody test for Lyme disease does not mean a person does not have Lyme disease. Up to 35% of Lyme patients never test positive. Lyme disease responds well to antibiotics when diagnosed in its early stages. Untreated Lyme disease may progress to more severe complications.
The Madison Health Department recommends that residents prepare ahead to avoid ticks by using insect repellents when appropriate and spraying clothing and shoes that are worn for hikes, yard work and play with permethrin products. Residents are also advised to keep a tick remover on hand.
Lyme disease can be avoided. Planning ahead and responding appropriately to an exposure can greatly reduce the risk of contracting the disease. More information is available on the Centers for Disease Control web site at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm.
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