Lyme: Not just a NE Threat
Many believe that Lyme disease is only a Northeast threat. Here are a few articles and links which highlight the existance of the disease in the most unlikely places.
Hopefully, this will shed some light on how exposed we all are.
Alaska:
(No official cases, yet some cases have been thought to be imported from Washington and/or Oregon.)
There have been several cases of imported Lyme disease in Alaska. The most recent involved an eight year old white male who visited Fauquier County, Virginia on June 23, 1991. He spent the day playing in the woods and afterwards was noted by his mother to have four ticks, including one which was engorged, on his body. The ticks were identified by a local resident as “deer ticks”, likely Ixodes damini.
This tick is thought to be a significant vector in California, Oregon, and Washington. While it has not been found in Alaska to date, it has been identified in Canada. In addition, I. angustus, which is found in Alaska, has recently been implicated in a case of Lyme disease in Washington State.
Full story: http://www.epi.alaska.gov/bulletins/docs/b1991_25.htm
Forida:
Excerpted from CanLyme.com
It was last Thursday, two days before the opening of central Florida’s bowhunting season, and Huggins knew all too well that he won’t be joining his friends in the woods this season. He hasn’t been able to go hunting for almost two years, and for Huggins hunting is a way of life.
Peripheral neuropathy, a disorder of the peripheral nerves, causes severe burning sensations throughout Huggins’ body. Anything other than lightweight clothing causes pain comparable to horrible sunburn. Except for trips to doctors and maybe the grocery store, Huggins doesn’t leave his home.
The 41-year-old Huggins is a victim of Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that is transmitted primarily through the bite of ticks, usually the black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick. Lyme disease is one of about a dozen conditions that can cause the neuropathy.
Full story: http://www.canlyme.com/floridasteroid.html
Maine:
Excerpted from SeeCoastOnline.com (02/11/2010)
KENNEBUNK — The number of Lyme disease cases in Maine tells a story of its own: the reported cases in York County jumped 62 percent between 2007 and 2008, with the increase statewide climbing an astounding 645 percent between 2000 and 2007.
Full story: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20100211-NEWS-2110365
Mississippi:
Excerpted from Clarionledger.com ( Posted: 2/13/2010 )
“I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me,” Kitchens said. “I went to my doctor and told him how awful I felt, but they couldn’t figure out what was going on.”
It took two years to get a diagnosis: Lyme disease, an inflammatory ailment spread through a tick bite.
Full article: http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20100213/NEWS/2130353/1001/rss01
Lyme Handbook 