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Ticks and Lyme Disease: Is there an Environmental Link?

The Quick Facts: Different types of tick species carry different tick-borne illnesses. The incidence of Lyme disease has increased dramatically in the last ten years. One reason may be the increase in deer populations and the displacement of deer from their natural habitat due to development pressure. There are many ways you can protect your family from tick bites and tick-borne illnesses, including avoiding certain habitats, wearing protective clothing and insect repellent, and making changes to your yard’s landscape.

Growing up in the Northeastern United States, I am no stranger to ticks and the dangers of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. However, when, within a two week period, each of my two children came home with an embedded tick, I decided to find out more. I wanted to know: What ticks are particularly dangerous to humans and what diseases could they carry? What environmental influences could be causing such a high incidence of ticks in my area? What are the best ways to protect children from exposure to ticks and tick-borne illnesses?

The type of ticks and the tick-borne diseases you and your family may be exposed to will depend on where you live. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Lyme disease is spread by the black-legged tick (a.k.a. deer tick) in the Northeastern and North-Central U.S. and by the western black-legged tick on the Pacific Coast. Whereas, the illness being called Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI) is caused by the lone-star tick, which is found throughout the Southeastern U.S. west to Texas and along the Atlantic coast as far north as Maine. You can find the tick species and tick-borne diseases specific to your area by visiting http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/resources/tick_infocard.pdf

While this article focuses on the black-legged tick (“deer tick”) and Lyme disease, many of the environmental influences, and control and prevention strategies that are discussed are the same for any tick species.

All About Lyme Disease: What it is and what the symptoms are.
According to the CDC, Lyme disease was first recognized in the U.S. in 1975 in Lyme, Connecticut. Since then, the incidence of Lyme disease has greatly increased making it one of the most important public health problems in parts of the U.S.. One reason for an increase in the incidence of Lyme disease may be the increase in deer populations and the displacement of deer from their natural habitat due to development pressure. The disappearance of continuous wooded open spaces drives deer to our lawns and gardens to feed. The deer bring with them ticks and the potential for transmission of Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is a disease that can be transmitted to humans by the black-legged (“deer”) tick.

Symptoms associated with Lyme disease vary greatly, depending on the individual and on how quickly it is treated. While some infected people get severe symptoms, others never show any. Generally, some signs and symptoms of early Lyme disease include: an expanding skin rash with a “bull’s eye” appearing within 3 days to 1 month after the bite of an infected tick; fatigue; chills and fever; headache; muscle and joint pain; and swollen lymph nodes. Some signs and symptoms of late Lyme disease, which may appear weeks, months, or years after a tick bite include: Arthritis; nervous system disturbances such as numbness, pain, paralysis and meningitis; problems with memory and sleep; fatigue; and headaches.

Diagnosis of Lyme disease is usually done through blood tests to see if the patient has developed antibodies to the Lyme disease bacteria; these blood tests are most helpful in later stages of the illness. Treatment for Lyme disease often involves antibiotics. Patients treated with antibiotics in the early stages of the infection recover rapidly and completely; patients who do not receive treatment for the early stages or for whom the initial treatment was inadequate may suffer permanent joint or nervous system damage.

Children may be particularly susceptible to Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases because they’re outdoor play may increase their exposure. Being outdoors and playing in wooded areas with dense shrub/leaf litter habitat and in overgrown grassy areas, increases the potential to be bitten by a tick and infected with a tick-borne disease. Also, according to the CDC, Lyme disease acquired during pregnancy has been found to lead to infection of the placenta and possible stillbirth when appropriate antibiotic treatment is not received.

All About the Tick: How you can get Lyme disease.
The ticks that carry Lyme disease are the black-legged (“deer”) tick in the Northeastern and North-Central U.S. and the western black-legged tick on the Pacific Coast. But not all ticks of these species carry Lyme disease. The risk of human infection from a tick bite depends on the tick’s life-stage and sex, and how long the tick has been embedded. Humans risk greatest exposure from female nymphs and adult ticks (males don’t feed on large mammals). A tick must be embedded for at least 24 hours (at which time it begins feeding) before it can transmit the Lyme disease.

All About Avoiding Lyme Disease: How to keep the little buggers from biting your kids.
Of course getting children outside and immersed in nature is important to foster a sense of wonder and respect for the environment. However, because of the risks associated with Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, exploring outside with your children should be done while taking the proper precautions.

  1. Avoid tick-infested areas such as wooded areas with dense shrub/leaf litter habitat and in overgrown grassy areas especially in May, June and July. For example, to prevent exposure to ticks when hiking, walk in the center of trails and avoid grass and brush along the trails edge.
  2. Wear clothing that is light in color so ticks can be seen easily.
  3. Wear long pants that it can be tucked in to socks or taped so ticks cannot crawl under clothing.
  4. Perform daily tick checks by looking over your child’s entire body, including the scalp. Remember, a tick needs to be embedded for 24 hours before it will transmit Lyme disease.
  5. Create a tick-safe zone with your landscaping. Ticks need the higher humidity of woodlands to survive and die quickly in drier environments. Remove leaf litter, trim tall grass and brush along paths or other places frequented by humans and pets, and lay down wood chips or gravel where lawns meet wooded areas.
  6. Discourage deer, which can carry Lyme disease-infected ticks, by removing plants that attract deer and constructing barriers to discourage deer from coming near your home ­ including lilac, jasmine or holly. Lists of such deer-repellent plantings are available from garden centers and nurseries.
  7. Use insect repellents containing no more than 30% DEET on clothes or permethrin to treat clothes. See Real Mama’s Summer 2008 article, Safe Bug Spray for Kids: The “Buzz” on Chemical and Plant-Based Repellents for alternatives to using DEET.
  8. Use chemical pesticides (pesticide applications should be supervised by a licensed professional) as barrier sprays or perimeter applications along paths or trails and areas adjacent to the wood’s edge. However, before using this extreme measure, note that, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the majority of tick products on the market today contain toxins, known as organophosphate insecticides, which not only kill insects but can also damage the nervous systems of pets and humans.
  9. Seek professional help if you think you or your child has been bitten by a tick and potentially exposed to Lyme disease. Both ticks and children can be tested to determine if they have been exposed to the disease.

Information used in this article was found at the following sources, which you can visit if you want to find out more about this topic:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/resources/tick_infocard.pdf (CDC fact-sheet identifying ticks and tick-borne illnesses)

http://www.visitmonmouth.com/mosquito/tick.html (Monmouth County Mosquito Commission website providing information about testing ticks for tick-borne illnesses for County residents)

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/pets/execsum.asp (NRDC’s article “Poisons on Pets: Health Hazards from Flea and Tick Products”)


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