Lyme Disease Still a Threat to Many States This Summer
Lyme Disease Still a Threat to Many States This Summer
June 7, 2001 -- For those living in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, this summer promises to be another active one for ticks carrying Lyme disease.
"Lyme disease continues to be the most commonly reported tick-borne disease in the U.S.," says Ned Hayes, MD, a medical epidemiologist in the CDC's division of vector-borne infectious diseases, located at Fort Collins, Col.
Numbers of cases increased steadily over the 1990s, with 16,000 reported in 1999, Hayes tells WebMD. "Preliminary totals indicate that the year 2000 will probably be close to that figure."
Lyme disease most commonly affects people in New England, the Mid-Atlantic States, and the upper Midwest states of Wisconsin and Minnesota, says Hayes. It is transferred to humans by deer ticks living in grassy, wooded areas. The highest-risk months are May and June, but risk does continue throughout the summer, he tells WebMD.
"People living in those areas should be taking precautions," Hayes says. And that could include the Lyme disease vaccine, early detection and removal of ticks, and reducing the number of ticks infesting private properties.
For starters, the CDC offers the following advice:
And regarding the vaccine, the CDC recommends it for anyone between the ages of 15 and 70 who lives in a high-risk area and has exposure to tick-ridden habitats, Hayes tells WebMD.
But the vaccine is not without controversy.
Lyme Disease Still a Threat to Many States This Summer
June 7, 2001 -- For those living in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, this summer promises to be another active one for ticks carrying Lyme disease.
"Lyme disease continues to be the most commonly reported tick-borne disease in the U.S.," says Ned Hayes, MD, a medical epidemiologist in the CDC's division of vector-borne infectious diseases, located at Fort Collins, Col.
Numbers of cases increased steadily over the 1990s, with 16,000 reported in 1999, Hayes tells WebMD. "Preliminary totals indicate that the year 2000 will probably be close to that figure."
Lyme disease most commonly affects people in New England, the Mid-Atlantic States, and the upper Midwest states of Wisconsin and Minnesota, says Hayes. It is transferred to humans by deer ticks living in grassy, wooded areas. The highest-risk months are May and June, but risk does continue throughout the summer, he tells WebMD.
"People living in those areas should be taking precautions," Hayes says. And that could include the Lyme disease vaccine, early detection and removal of ticks, and reducing the number of ticks infesting private properties.
For starters, the CDC offers the following advice:
- Wear light-colored clothing so ticks will be clearly visible and can be easily removed.
- Keep ticks from reaching the skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts. Also, tuck pants into socks or boot tops.
- Wear rubber boots, since ticks are close to the ground.
- Protect exposed skin with insect repellents containing DEET; applying permethrin to clothes will kill ticks on contact.
- Make yards less suitable for deer, rodents, and ticks. Remove leaf litter as well as brush-and-wood piles around houses and at the edges of yards. Clear trees and brush to allow more sunlight to the yard.
- Install a barrier of wood chips where lawn meets forest; ticks don't survive well on chips.
- Remove any plants that attract deer.
And regarding the vaccine, the CDC recommends it for anyone between the ages of 15 and 70 who lives in a high-risk area and has exposure to tick-ridden habitats, Hayes tells WebMD.
But the vaccine is not without controversy.
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