May 16 2008
A Reasoned Treatise on Deer Ticks/Lyme Disease
This time of year brings many ticks into the woods and along with them come the scary stories about Lyme disease. Here’s one describing a 25% increase in Lyme disease in Wisconsin:
Lyme disease cases rose by nearly 25% in 2007 from the year before, state health officials reported Friday.
Last year, the state recorded 1,819 cases, compared with 1,456 in 2006.
“We remind everyone to be on the lookout for ticks that can cause Lyme disease and to take steps to protect themselves,” Johnson said. “In Wisconsin, most people who develop Lyme disease are exposed to infected ticks between May and August. The greatest risk of developing the illness is during June and July.”
Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium carried by small ticks called deer ticks, which are found in many parts of the United States, including Wisconsin. The disease can cause debilitating arthritis as well as serious heart and nervous system problems.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=749212
But Paul “Siler” Haan, the creator of the greatlakeshikes yahoo group, has a reasoned treatise on the subject on his forum. Excerpts and link:
As someone who has hiked extensively out east in primo-Lyme areas, I
can tell you that dealing with ticks really shouldn’t be any big
deal. People in eastern NY and Connecticut and surrounding areas have
been, for the most part, living with these ticks to no great avail.
First, make sure you REALLY know the difference between a deer tick
and a dog tick (or wood tick). Okay, these little critters come by a
host of different names… Suffice it to say that the ones that are
bigger than fleck of pepper are not the ones that carry Lyme. Sure,
they are gross and all that, but they are relatively harmless.
For both ticks, I find the best action is to simply watch for them and
pick them off as you spot them on your body. The common understanding
is that an Lyme-infected tick must be on its host for about a day
before Lyme becomes much of a concern. If you do your tick checks at
breaks and at the end of the day, you’ll get most all ticks off of you
before much harm is done. To get them off, simply pull them easily,
being sure not to break off the head. If the head does come off, you
MUST get it out. Treat it like a sliver and start digging. Of the
hundreds of ticks I’ve picked off myself, I’ve only had the head come
off once or twice.
More here…
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/greatlakeshikes/message/46085
The image above is from the Illinois Department of Public Health. It shows (from left to right) an adult female deer tick, adult male deer tick, nymph and larva.