Protecting yourself from Lyme disease - Minnesota

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Protecting yourself from Lyme disease
Health Talk & You
Russell C. Johnson, Ph.D.
The Pilot-Independent
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 27th, 2006 01:26:50 PM

Along with the mosquito, practically the state bird of Minnesota,
residents
of our state must also spend the summer dealing with the deer tick.
This
tiny pest thrives by biting mice, deer, humans and pets, often
transmitting
the bacteria that cause Lyme disease.

In about 80 percent of Lyme disease cases, an expanding rash appears at
the
site of the tick bite. The rash typically shows up seven to nine days
after
the infected tick has detached. People with Lyme disease may suffer
from
fatigue, fever, headache and joint and muscle aches. Left untreated,
Lyme
disease also can lead to heart or nerve damage and muscle and joint
pain.

The good news is that Lyme disease discovered early responds well to
treatment with antibiotics such as amoxicillin and doxycycline. Doctors
recommend doxycycline for treating suspected Lyme disease because it
also is
effective against the bacteria that cause human anaplasmosis, another
deer-tick transmitted disease.

Now is the time to be most vigilant about deer ticks. Most of the 918
cases
of Lyme disease reported in Minnesota last year occurred from mid-May
to
mid-July. Yet, getting bitten by a deer tick doesn't necessarily mean
you
will get infected with the Lyme disease - from 20 to 60 percent of deer
ticks are infected with the bacteria.

To keep from contracting Lyme disease, prevent ticks from getting to
your
skin. Keep your body covered with clothing while entering the woods;
light
colored garments work best because they make it easier to spot ticks.
Bug
sprays with DEET are effective at stopping deer ticks from biting, but
use a
low concentration on children. It's also important to stay on a path
instead
of forging into tall grass or brush where ticks are most likely to
reside.
If the deer tick does make it to your skin, it generally takes about 36
hours from the time the bug bites to start infecting your body with the
Lyme
disease bacteria. So if you're in nature quite a bit, check for ticks
on
your body every day. That way you can remove the deer tick before it
infects
you. If you find a tick and it's flat, you most likely have not been
infected with Lyme disease. That's because the deer tick has not yet
eaten,
and when deer ticks have empty stomachs they are not infectious.

While deer ticks are found in the northeastern outskirts of the Twin
Cities,
they are more prevalent in east-central Minnesota and western
Wisconsin.
About 20 percent of the Minnesota Lyme disease cases occurred when
people
visited Wisconsin. Generally, residents of western and southern
Minnesota do
not have to worry much about deer ticks and Lyme disease. Also, studies
conducted at the University of Minnesota during the past 13 years
determined
that deer ticks and the Lyme disease bacteria have not spread much from
the
northeastern suburbs of St. Paul into the metro area.
Even so, be on the lookout for the pesky deer tick to protect yourself
and
your children from Lyme disease.
Russell C. Johnson, Ph.D., is a professor of microbiology at the
University
of Minnesota.

This column is an educational service of the University of Minnesota.
Advice
presented should not take the place of an examination by a health-care
professional. For more health-related information, go to
www.healthtalk.umn
..edu.

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