Lyme Disease And Its Effects On The United States

Lyme disease has emerged as the most common vector borne infectious disease in the United States and has presented a growing challenge to public health officials over the past three decades. The infection represents a significant disease burden to the population of the United States with nearly 30,000 new cases diagnosed per year and an estimated additional 270,000 annual incident cases that go unreported. The disease results from a bacterial infection with the spirochete bacteria B. burgdorferi. This bacterial agent is transmitted to humans from the bite of a tick and is most commonly associated Ixodes species blacklegged ticks. These ticks represent the largest genus of the family Ixodidae and mainly inhabit temperate forest or grassland

Your chances of acquiring Lyme disease can be greatly affected by where you live or travel to. Many outdoor activities put you at risk. Since deer ticks feed on mice and white-tailed deer, they are most commonly found in heavily wooded areas. Another risk factor of Lyme disease is having exposed skin. Since ticks attach easily to bare skin, being exposed in wooded or grassy areas will increase your risk. If you are bitten by a tick, the final chance of prevention is to remove the tick quickly and properly. In most cases, to infect it’s host, a tick must remain attached to the skin for at least thirty-six hours. If you safely remove the tick

“Lyme disease got its name from where it was first discovered in Lyme, Connecticut in 1975” (healthychildren.org). “Since then there has been thousands of cases reported of the disease. The ticks live in low and high seasonal temperatures and high humidity” (healthychildren.org). Lyme Disease most common to occur in the Northeast, North-central states, or West Coast. On behalf of the Northeast, I can tell you that ticks are everywhere in this region. They like to live in tall grasses and woody areas. “The small insects more than often latch onto the foot or lower leg and crawl up the body, and travel up the body with a destination of the head. On their normal hosts, ticks also usually crawl up; they want to blood feed around the

Lyme disease was discovered in the 1970’s, as any other disease was, by a large number of cases, with patients having the same symptoms. In Lyme, Connecticut, a doctor was having patients who were all suffering from the same symptoms that made patients become debilitated. There were so many cases that the doctor marked it as an unknown disease. It wasn’t until later in the 1980’s that there were more widespread cases throughout the north-east. Lyme disease is becoming a serious problem in the north-east and especially in New York State, given the drastic increase of cases. Without treatment Lyme disease can result in blindness and in severe cases, death.

Treat the gut first. Many people with chronic Lyme disease have gut dysbiosis (an imbalance in the good gut flora). A high quality, potent probiotic is a good first step.

Chronic Lyme disease isn't the only medical issues that Lacey Miller has. Lacey Miller has arthritis, dementia, loss of vision, seizures and many other medical problems. Lacey is currently unemployed and bedridden. Lacey doesn't let chronic Lyme disease let get her depressed, however. Lacey is a loving mother and wife that spends time with her family making them laugh and smile.

What is Lyme disease? Should it be measured as a true “illness”? These questions are being asked thousands of times each year. Doctors, scientists, and patients all around the United States desire to comprehend what this infection indeed is and how to deal with it. The steps to healing and treating this disease have been very controversial. The idea of Lyme disease being a chronic illness has also been up for debate recently. Do we understand enough about this tick borne illness to accurately benefit those infected? How much treatment should doctors offer to their patients? Lastly, is Chronic Lyme disease a legitimate disease or are its patients just crying out for attention? These are just a few questions Americans hope the Lyme Disease Control Board and doctors will soon be able to answer.

Lyme disease can be a very serious disease if not treated early enough. The most important way to keep from getting the disease is prevention. Education is the key to prevention. The only way to contract the disease is to be bitten by a tick that is carrying the bacteria Borrelia Burgoloferi. By educating the public on the facts of the disease and how it is transmitted will greatly lower the number of cases each year.

Lymes disease is present here in Nova Scotia and has also affected humans and dogs in different parts of North America. It is one of the most common tick-causing symptoms however only 5-10% of dogs are affected showing different forms of the disease. Living in Lunenburg & Queens County (NS), there seems to be a higher population of deer ticks, as well as other parts of the province. The deer ticks are the primary carrier of the disease. A tick carrying the bacteria (B.burgdorferi) that can cause Lyme disease can transmit it to a dog after filling itself with blood, which takes at least 48 hours. Even if it is attached for 48 hours, the dog may not contract the disease.

Speaker Creditability: I know first-hand of what it's like to have Lyme disease after being diagnosed with late stage Lyme arthritis in 2014. I have had several treatments as well, but even after three years I can still feel Lyme’s effects.

In Nova Scotia, especially my residential area of Lunenburg County, Lyme Disease is an uprising problem. I myself initiated in a way to help raise awareness. Moreover, I produced a Facebook page to raise people’s knowledge regarding Lyme Disease, I created a survey to help the understanding of issues people may not be familiar with, and responded to any questions people had regarding Lyme Disease.

Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the Borrelia type.[1] The most common sign of infection is an expanding area of redness, known as erythema migrans, that begins at the site of a tick bite about a week after it has occurred. The rash is typically neither itchy nor painful. About 25% of people do not develop a rash. Other early symptoms may include fever, headache, and feeling tired. If untreated, symptoms may include loss of the ability to move one or both sides of the face, joint pains, severe headaches with neck stiffness, or heart palpitations, among others. Months to years later, repeated episodes of joint pain and swelling may occur. Occasionally, people develop shooting pains or tingling in their arms and legs. Despite appropriate treatment, about 10 to 20% of people also develop joint pains, have memory problems, and feel tired much of the time.[2]

Lyme borreliosis or Lyme disease can be devastating both physically and mentally for victims. The disease is transmitted by a vector, specifically a tick, which infects their host by biting and infecting them with pathological spirochete bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi (Muschart & Blommaert, 2015). There are several species of Borrelia globally, and as a group, the bacteria are referred to as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Pearson, 2015). The disease originated from, Lyme Connecticut, of which it was named, after a patient was mistakenly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when the cause of their disease was B. burgdorferi or Lyme disease (Snow, 2013). Lyme disease is classified as one of the most common and growing vector-born disease in the United States as well as Europe (Snow, 2013). Understanding how Lyme disease progresses through the body as well as the disease’s signs and symptoms are essential to understanding how to treat the disease and stop it from spreading throughout the body with destructive results. With a disease as potentially devastating as Lyme disease, early treatment is required for a better outcome (Pearson, 2015). This research paper will discuss the pathophysiology of three Lyme conditions known as Lyme arthritis, Lyme neuroborreliosis, and Lyme carditis and provide an overview of the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease and treatments, and how to prevent infection.

Lyme disease is a rapidly spreading infectious disease in the United States, with over 25,000 confirmed cases in 2013.5 It was first discovered in the early-1970’s in the town of Lyme, Connecticut when a group of children started to present with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Some of these children presented with a rash and researchers connected the symptoms to occurring during peak tick season. By the mid-1970’s, the researchers began describing the symptoms and coining the term “Lyme disease” to help doctors diagnose the condition. The cause, however, was not discovered until 1981 by researchers at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana and finally the connection between deer ticks and Lyme disease was

One of the most common Tick communicable diseases plaguing the United States today is a human transferable infection called Lyme disease, which is spread by Deer Ticks Ixodes scapularis, they are small arthropods often found in wooded areas of eastern United states (Orkin.com “Deer ticks” accessed may 8 2016); transmission of the infection occurs when an contaminated deer tick I. scapularis bites its victim transmitting the blood borne infection to its host; a bacteria called spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. (CDC) invades the body and begins it journey of destruction. Symptoms are not felt right away, yet over the