As summer starts to come to an end and the children are getting ready to go back to school it is time to get into the hunting frame of mind, do some scouting, put up some deer stands and tromp through the woods looking for a good place to hunt that trophy buck. But as we enter this time of year we need to beware of the dangers of ticks that carry Lyme Disease.

Lyme disease was named in 1977 when arthritis was observed in a cluster of children in and around Lyme, Connecticut. Other clinical symptoms and environmental conditions suggested that this was an infectious disease. These bacteria are transmitted to humans by the bite of infected deer ticks and cause more than 16,000 infections in the United States each year.

In the United States, Lyme disease is mostly localized to states in the northeastern, mid - Atlantic, and upper north-central regions, and to several counties in northwestern California. In 1999, 16,273 cases of Lyme disease were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ninety-two percent of these were from the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin, but anywhere there are deer ticks there is the potential  for Lyme disease.

It is important to remember that prevention measures can be effective in reducing your exposure to infected ticks, and most patients can be successfully treated with antibiotic therapy when diagnosed in the early stages of Lyme disease. So if you have symptoms and have been exposed to a tick area make sure you tell your Doctor as many cases get miss diagnosed.

If you are going to be in areas that are tick infested, wear light-colored clothing so that ticks can be spotted more easily and removed before becoming attached. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and tucking pants into socks or boot tops may help keep ticks from reaching your skin. Ticks are usually located close to the ground, so wearing high rubber boots may provide additional protection and also not leave your sent around to alert the deer. The risk of tick attachment can also be reduced by applying insect repellents containing DEET  to clothes and exposed skin, and applying permethrin (which kills ticks on contact) to clothes, just make sure you do not get this on your skin.

The transmission of B. burgdorferi (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease) from an infected tick is unlikely to occur before 36 hours of tick attachment. For this reason, daily checks for ticks and promptly removing any attached tick that you find will help prevent infection. Embedded ticks should be removed using fine-tipped tweezers. DO NOT use petroleum jelly, a hot match, nail polish, or other products. Grasp the tick firmly and as closely to the skin as possible. With a steady motion, pull the tick's body away from the skin. The tick's mouthparts may remain in the skin, but do not be alarmed. The bacteria that cause Lyme disease are contained in the tick's mid gut or salivary glands. Cleanse the area good with an antiseptic. Lyme disease most often shows up with a characteristic "bull's-eye" rash, accompanied by nonspecific symptoms such as fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, and joint aches.  The incubation period from infection to onset is typically 7 to 14 days but may be as short as 3 days and as long as 30 days. Some infected individuals have no recognized illness or signs.

For those of us who were taking the Lyme disease prevention shots as of February 25, 2002 the manufacturer announced that the LYMErix™ Lyme disease vaccine will no longer be commercially available.

Larry C. Reese
Wildlife Artistry Taxidermy