As if we didn’t have enough problems, Florida is now hosting the deer tick, the one that carries Lyme disease.
Although reportable, it’s not a big deal here yet, but it may be before long. It’s spreading rapidly throughout the eastern U.S., with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention citing nearly a half million people treated so far this year.
As many know, Lyme disease is transmitted by tick bites. The malady has been around for a long time, at first appearing in a cluster of rheumatoid-like cases in several towns in southeastern Connecticut in the mid-1970s. Two of the towns were Lyme and Old Lyme, hence the moniker Lyme disease.
My wife and I lived in Old Lyme at the time, and my wife was among the first 50 people diagnosed.
Back then no one knew what was going on, and local physicians pinned the blame on some new form of arthritis. As things got worse in our household, my wife developed swelling, chills, dizziness and eventually severe joint pain. At one point her jaw completely froze up.
Things improved noticeably when, after contracting strep throat, she was given a hefty dose of antibiotics. Never discount serendipity.
Finally, along with other early sufferers, she hooked up with researchers at Yale University as little by little an understanding of the disease emerged.
It was found to be caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria transmitted by bites from infected ticks carried by deer or mice, or often just lurking in bushes or grass waiting for people or pets to walk by. (We had cats.) A common early symptom was and is a circular bulls-eye rash that appears soon after the tick bite. But only 70-80% of those infected actually develop the rash.
What should you do if you get bitten? Remove the tick, preferably with tweezers. Then see a medical professional right away. Early diagnosis is important. Doxycycline was the preferred treatment back in the day, although other effective antibiotics are now available.
What can you do to prevent being bitten? Just what you might imagine. In wooded or grassy areas, wear long trousers, socks and long-sleeved shirts. Treat your hiking clothes with 0.5% permethrin several times a year. And always apply a bug repellent when you go out.
Sometimes nothing works. As a young man, I was infected three times and it was hell, even with prompt treatment. And it’s not clear, even after all this time, whether the symptoms can return and, if so, with what intensity. To this day, my wife attributes long-standing arthritic problems to Lyme disease.
Although the infection is now old hat and easily treated, it has managed to stay in the headlines. Why? It’s become politicized. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., himself a Lyme disease victim, has become a strong proponent of developing more effective treatments, but only after proclaiming several years ago the disease was a bioweapon engineered in a military lab on Long Island. He has since recanted.
On a more serious note, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said the National Institute of Health is currently conducting a study using neuroimaging and blood markers to assess mechanisms associated with the disease. In other words, science is taking over.
Here is a closing thought if you are a golfer.
Keep your head down when you swing and stay out of the rough. A study showed that golfers with high handicaps were at greatest risk of getting Lyme disease.
Dr. Dave Trecker is a chemist and retired Pfizer executive living in Naples.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: An uptick in Lyme disease, even in Florida | Opinion
Reporting by Dr. Dave Trecker / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dr. Dave Trecker | USA TODAY Network
