The Great Immitator: Lyme Disease

Made of a canvas outer garment coated in wax, as well as waxed leather pants, gloves, boots and hat. A dark leather hood and mask with a very grotesque curved beak (Jackie Rosenhek, 2011). A serial killer, Halloween costume perhaps or a cosplay outfit for a horror movie? No, a doctor actually is what this outfit was meant for. Doctors wore this attire in the medieval times in order to protect themselves from the bubonic plague. We 've all heard of the bubonic plague in our history classes. We know the numbers and effects and how deadly it was. However the bubonic plague is still on the hunt and loose. Yes, numbers in outbreaks of the bubonic plague have doubled since 2014. There have been very few, but a pathogen such as the Black Death is not to be taken lightly.

The Bubonic Plague hit Michigan, one person being infected by the disease, but it was assumed that, since he visited an area in the US which gets hit by the plague often, he did not catch it from anyone in Michigan. According to the article, a few other cases in Western and Southwestern states have appeared. However, the disease has only killed two people in the past few years, and is easily repelled with antibiotics and other treatments.

What is Lyme disease, and why is it important? Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease created by bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. “The infection is primarily transmitted by Ixodes ticks, also known as deer ticks, and on the West Coast, black-legged ticks” (Lymedisease.org). It’s hard to identify the ticks because of their tiny size, similar to a poppy seed. To make that exact the female adult deer tick is about 2.7 mm in length, and the male is smaller than that (tickencounter.org). The size makes it even more difficult to feel or find a bite from the tick. However, the consequences can be very serious, sometimes even fatal (cdc.gov). Lyme disease is a serious public health in the United States that is overlooked.

In the CNN article, “Bubonic plague reported in Michigan,” author Greg Botelho tells about how their is another case of the plague. This case has been the only reported case that wasn’t in the west. All other cases had been in the western states, particularly in Colorado, where the most of the recent outbreaks have been. Though, the person in Michigan probably didn’t catch the disease in Michigan, because they had just gotten back from a trip to Colorado. But, it is not for certain that this is the case.

The Bubonic Plague, often acknowledged as the worst epidemic in the history of Europe, also known as the Black Death, the Black Plague, and the Pestilence, the worst time was 1348-1350. By the end of 1350, according to Zarlengo, almost three fourths of the population had been decimated. Today the Pestilence has an antibiotic cure and since rats and fleas are kept at a low and are not shipped from one place to another, we have less of a chance of getting it again. However, at that point there was no cure and people died by the hundreds.

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.

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.

While reading An American Plague, I noticed an interesting detail that so many people were dying at the beginning of the fever according to Murphy (2003) “ On wednesday twelve more died; thirteen died on Thursday. Others besides the doctors were beginning to notice the illness. “ . I wonder if there was or is any way of preventing the fever from happening . According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) it states that you should beware of mosquitoes peaking hours from dusk to dawn . Also it states to use insect repellent with picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin . Also there is a vaccination from it , but the (CDC) recommends not getting that vaccination only if you are going where risk of the yellow

Ticks, they are most significant vectors of infectious diseases in the United States. These arachnids can host a scary medley of infectious bacterium, and they are increasing at an alarming rate with one CDC graph showing their numbers have almost tripled since 1995 (Lyme Stats). Some point to greater awareness, other point to climate change, while we don’t know exactly why their reach is growing we do know we have to be wary of the diseases they carry. While not all ticks are hosts, ticks carrying the Borrelia bacteria known for causing Lyme disease present a massive public health risk. Lyme is one most under researched Infectious diseases with the CDC estimating that somewhere between 300,000 and 3,000,000 people are infected annual.

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 disease is an inflammatory disease characterized at first by a fever, headache, chills, and a rash and later by arthritis, cardiac, and neurological disorders, caused by bacteria that is spread by ticks. Lyme disease is common in North America, Europe, and Asia and is caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. Infected ticks spread the bacteria by biting people or animals. There are two kinds of ticks that carry Lyme disease in the U.S.. They are the deer tick, found in the Northeast and Midwest, and the western black-legged tick, predominantly found along the Pacific coast in northern California and Oregon.Can You Die from Lyme Disease?

One of the most devastating event in human history, the Bubonic Plague or more commonly known as the Black Death is a deadly disease that killed half of the world’s population spreading from China to Europe from 1347 through 1353. “Civilization both in the East and the West was visited by a destructive plague which devastated nations and caused populations to vanish…. The entire inhabited world changed.” Ibn Khaldun, a Muslim historian and how he described the plague. Although infected with the same illness, the East and the West had a different perspective towards the disease, but how different were the East and West response towards the disease?

“Some victims reportedly went to bed healthy and died in their sleep” (Gale). This terrible epidemic is known all over the world for it’s deadly and unique characteristics. The diffusion, history, and cure are just a couple universal aspects that contribute to the well known, yet unforgiving disease known as the Bubonic Plague.

First off, the backstory behind Lyme’s Disease isn’t very much known to us. It’s suggested it was a disease that simply does not harm a tick, but is instead carried by it, such as the disease towards bats in Maquoketa Caves. Lyme’s

The American Plague, Molly Caldwell Crosby’s nonfiction novel, accounts the journey of yellow fever from an African virus to the remarkably deadly epidemic that shaped American history in an often overlooked way. Crosby’s novel aims to give insight to the historical impact of yellow fever in the Americas, especially the United States. The novel guides through the history of the titular “American Plague”, yellow fever, in three main parts: its height epidemic in the United States, specifically in Memphis, the Commission to find the cause and vaccine for it, in Cuba, and the effects and presence the epidemic has in the present.