|
|
||
| Creeping
While You're Sleeping Story and photos by Noah
Fitzgerald “I would have never guessed I could get it. I didn’t know ticks were this far up north,” Duncun says. “I would have never guessed I could get it. I didn’t know ticks were this far up north,” Duncun says. It was 1990 when he was bitten by a tick carrying Lyme Disease. He discovered the pest while he was in the shower. “I brought the tick to the Cooperstown hospital, and they said I shouldn’t worry because we didn’t have Lyme Disease up here,” he recalls. Three days later, Duncun began to get headaches and flu-like symptoms. “There was a big red ring on my leg.” Concerned with his health, Duncun went to a hospital in Schenectady where doctors confirmed that he had Lyme disease. Three weeks later, after being medicated with amoxicillin, the fever left and the red rash disappeared. But like many people, Duncun had not known that northern New York is home to ticks and Lyme Disease. He was surprised to hear that, in 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had counted more tick infections in people living in upstate New York than anywhere else in America. Upstate New York had 5,476 cases, which is more than Connecticut, which had 4,631. “The public needs to be made more aware,”Duncun says. The American Lyme Disease Foundation, along with David Weld, the executive director of the foundation for 15 years, are vigorously trying to do exactly that. In an effort to make the public more conscious of Lyme, the foundation has set aside the month of May as “Lyme Disease Awareness Month.” “The public needs
to be made more aware,” Duncun says.
“Upstate New York seems to have the optimal environmental conditions for a proliferation of Lyme Disease. The area has moderately high human densities living in highly fragmented forest areas where ticks and their hosts thrive,” Felicia Keesing, associate professor of biology at Bard College, explains. In 2000, Keesing studied the biodiversity and risk of Lyme disease in northern New York. “Lyme Disease and ticks have only been an issue for people in the Adirondacks for about ten years. They’ve migrated up, attached to birds and other wildlife. It’s important to keep the public aware, and May is an appropriate month to do this,” says Weld. A female tick can lay up to 1,000 eggs at one time. These eggs will hatch in May. Once hatched, the tick is in a nymph stage and is only about the size of a pinhead. It looks like a mole when attached to your skin. Keesing explains that the best host for a tick at this stage is the white-footed mouse, which is prevalent upstate. Most cases of Lyme are caught by one of these pesky infants, and people are not the only ones at risk. “Dogs are an early warning sign that you may have Lyme in your area,” Weld says. “Dogs are 100 times more likely to get bitten by a tick than people, and that means they are more likely to get the disease.” Some symptoms of Lyme in dogs include a loss of appetite, severe lethargy, and a reluctance to go outdoors. Weld suggests the owner bring their dog to the veterinarian at least once a year to test for the disease. It’s a good idea to make your yard as tick free as possible to avoid harming not only your pets, but your family as well.“Lyme disease cases are caught in a person’s own backyard 90 percent of the time,” Weld explains. In many ways, a yard is a perfect area for these ticks to live. Blacklegged ticks like to live in moist areas, so leaf litter should be cleared from the yard. Also, your lawn should be cut often so that no shade reaches the ground. Weld advises to keep your child’s play area away from the woods because the shadows from the trees are a favorable area for ticks to thrive. Larry Penny, the director of the Department of Natural Resources of East Hampton, New York, suggests that after spending time in the yard, to thoroughly check through your hair and clothes for any signs of the pests. “Lyme disease cases are caught in a person’s own backyard 90 percent of the time,” Weld explains. Besides using traditional methods, new pesticides help in the effort to keep ticks away from your yard. Penny and Weld both agree that applying pesticides to the yard and surrounding forest is an effective way to reduce the number of ticks creeping in the grass. One way to apply pesticides in your yard is through a “bait box.” This feeding station lures chipmunks and mice, which are the normal hosts of ticks in their nymph stages, and applies pyrethrum (a pesticide) to the fur. The pesticide does not harm the wildlife, pets, or humans, so it is safe to use. You can also hire a company to spray your yard for you, but you should also understand the disease in order to avoid it. “In areas of high risk for Lyme Disease, a person has a 25% chance of getting the disease if bit,” Penny says. Penny was inflicted with Lyme while working in the field. Unfortunately, he did not get medical attention for the disease early enough and went through stages of continuing sickness. His joints hurt, he was stricken with flu-like symptoms, and he felt worn out. “My memory began to get worse and worse,” Penny recalls. “Whenever I met someone, I would have trouble remembering who they were. I’m getting better, but for some, the disease can come back because there are memory Lyme cells [infected blood cells] inside the body. If the symptoms go away, it’s possible to get the disease again if you are bitten a second time.” If it isn't caught early, the Lyme could progress into neurological and heart problems. In some cases, memory loss and facial palsy can develop.“Awareness is the name of the game,” Weld emphasizes. “I’m lucky to have caught it early. My friend who lives in Montgomery County didn’t catch it in time and he relapses every year with flu-ish symptoms and pain,” Duncun says. While it’s safe to say that Duncun will think twice next time he steps into a patch of bittersweet, Weld and the American Lyme Disease Foundation hope to bring this same awareness to other residents of upstate New York. “With time and awareness, the people of this area can reduce the number infections dramatically,” says Weld. |
||
| Copyright © 2005 All Points North. All Rights Reserved | ||
