Is there any possibility that the disease will be eradicated in the coming decades? DF: I see no chance of this happening unless we find a way to control the tick populations.
Little research is being funded to find new ways to eliminate ticks, so I do not see this happening anytime soon. I believe we will be living with Lyme disease for a very long time. There is an ongoing, and sometimes acrimonious, debate between the scientific community and people who are ill and believe they are suffering from a chronic form of Lyme disease.
Is there chronic Lyme disease? DF: The Infectious Diseases Society of America has taken a strong stand against the belief that people are chronically infected with the Lyme disease bacterium. Unfortunately, a large number of patients have been misled by self-appointed lay experts who have organized support groups that aggressively dispute the views of the academic research community and public health agencies.
They have a strong presence on the Internet and an alarming amount of political influence. The result is that a large number of people are being treated needlessly for an infection they do not have. The misdiagnosis and mistreatment of Lyme disease have the potential to become a larger public health problem than Lyme disease itself.
DF: I do not know how or why this has happened, but it would be extremely important to understand. Such an aggressive attack on medical science is very worrisome to me, but the sociological and psychological aspects of disease are out of my area of training and expertise.
There has been a lot of research on Lyme disease, and much of this scientific evidence is publicly available. Is this evidence starting to convince people otherwise? DF: It is hard to tell. People have all kinds of beliefs that defy science.
Evolution is a prominent example. It is hard for me to understand how people can believe they have a chronic infection of Lyme disease when multiple, double-blinded, placebo-controlled studies of such patients have all demonstrated no benefit to prolonged antibiotic therapy.
It is even more difficult to understand how people can believe that they have chronic Lyme disease when they have never been exposed to infected ticks. There are chronic Lyme support groups in many states where ticks that could infect humans do not occur.
DF: I do not know. I am not a physician, so I cannot answer that question. But I do understand science, and the science overwhelmingly indicates that they do not have a chronic infection of Lyme disease. You are working on a book tentatively titled Lyme Scam. Can you briefly discuss its premise? DF: Finding a way to reduce populations of ticks is by far the greatest challenge. I see no hope of solving this problem without significant progress in this area.
To remove a tick that is already biting you or a family member, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible using tweezers or a tissue. Then pull it out slowly and steadily without twisting. To prevent ticks from infesting areas near your home, try to make the surrounding property unsuitable for ticks. Keeping weeds and brush away from your home and maintaining your lawn will help you get rid of ticks near your property. If your home is surrounded by heavy brush or wooded areas where ticks are commonly found, you can spray these areas with pesticides to help eliminate ticks.
Most pesticides will be effective with one or two applications. You should also clean up any areas around your home that may attract rodents such as mice and rats , since they often carry ticks.
Regularly check your pets for ticks and apply tick prevention. Ticks are more commonly found on animals that are allowed to roam outside. If you find a tick on your pet, remove it and call your veterinarian. Your pet may need treatment for a tick bite. You can also buy certain medications for your pet that prevent ticks from attaching. You should call your doctor if a tick bites you and you develop symptoms of a tick-borne illness. One of the first signs will be a rash, accompanied by a fever.
Antibiotics are typically used to treat tick-borne illnesses, as many are bacterial. Your doctor will be able to give you the correct diagnosis and prescribe the right antibiotic for treatment. Lyme disease can produce a variety of symptoms, from a rash to fatigue, joint pain, and vision changes.
Learn to spot the signs of this common…. Ticks are small, brown parasites that are known for carrying disease and that can attach to your skin and suck your blood. Ticks are very common in the United States. Tick bites are often harmless, but they can cause allergic reactions and can spread diseases like Lyme…. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is most often seen in the southeastern United States.
Here's what you need to know to prevent this tick-borne disease. There are more than known arboviruses. Find out how they're spread, symptoms to watch for, treatment options, and more. Ehrlichiosis is a bacterial illness that causes flu-like symptoms that include fever and aches. It can cause very serious complications if left….
After the eggs hatch, the ticks must have a blood meal at every stage to survive. Blacklegged ticks can feed from mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The ticks need a new host at each stage of their life.
The lifecycle of Ixodes pacificus ticks generally lasts three years. Some species can even recognize a shadow. In addition, ticks pick a place to wait by identifying well-used paths. Then they wait for a host, resting on the tips of grasses and shrubs. While questing, ticks hold onto leaves and grass by their third and fourth pair of legs.
They hold the first pair of legs outstretched, waiting to climb on to the host. When a host brushes the spot where a tick is waiting, it quickly climbs aboard.
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