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Health & Fitness

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month!

May is Lyme Disease Awareness month because it is common that many people who develop the tick-borne illness become exposed this month. As the weather warms up we are encouraging East Enders to continue educating themselves on how to avoid tick-borne illness in their families. Lyme Disease Awareness Month, as designated by the Lyme Disease Foundation, is a campaign meant to promote preventative measures to take against Lyme disease. It educates both young and old about Lyme disease and the steps that can be taken to prevent it. The importance of Lyme Disease Awareness Month continues to increase as the number of reported cases of Lyme disease in the United States continues to increase each year. East Enders should be aware of ticks all season long but early May is the opportune time to set up a prevention schedule for your property to be sure that Lyme disease doesn’t even have a chance to affect your family. About Ticks In the northeast United States the blacklegged tick (or deer tick) spreads Lyme disease. During the spring and early summer months the transmission of Lyme disease is most commonly due to the bites of immature ticks called nymphs because they are less than 2 mm and difficult to see. In addition to their small size, ticks often attach to hard-to-see areas of the body such as the groin, armpits, and scalp. What is Lyme disease? An acute inflammatory bacterial infection caused by an infectious tick bite. In most cases, the tick must be attached 36-48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted. Lyme disease is most commonly found in children age 5 to 14. Early symptoms include a “bull’s eye” rash, chills, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, and swollen nymph nodes. Untreated infections can lead to serious complications such as arthritis, heart and nervous system disorders, Bell’s palsy, miscarriages, stillborn births, and meningitis. Recognizing a tick bite that has transmitted Lyme disease is very important. A few days to a week after a tick bite, a small red bump may appear at the site of the bite. It may feel warm and tender to the touch. If the tick bite has transmitted Lyme disease the redness may expand over the next couple weeks and form a round or oval red rash, usually bigger than 5 centimeters in size. This rash appears in about 70-80% of people. In 2011, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdcc.gov/lyme) listed New York as a top contender for Lyme disease occurrences. The most heavily affected regions, including Long Island’s East End, are home to a tick population with half of all its inhabitants infected. More than 280,000 Americans have been diagnosed with Lyme disease since 2002, with an additional 30,000 diagnoses last year alone. Beyond Lyme Additionally, the rate of other threatening tick-related illnesses continues to increase. Ehrlichiosis, transmitted by the Lone Star Tick, causes flu-like symptoms including headaches, muscle aches, malaise and high fever with untreated cases leading to central nervous system and organ damage, delirium and death. The malaria-like illness, Babesiosis, can also be fatal with symptoms such as fatigue, appetite loss, fever, drenching sweats, muscle pain and headaches. Prevention In order to decrease the risk of tick-related illness maintain a clean, trimmed lawn, cut back branches to let in more sunlight and consider tick collars and sprays for pets to prevent ticks being carried into the home on animals. Additionally, call the professionals and ask about what preventative methods are available that can be customized to meet your personal needs.

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