Lyme Handbook

Even with the minimal known today about Lyme disease (LD), how can anyone be surprised that a Lyme outbreak is occurring in Utah?  Birds are transporting the disease, other non tick  vectors are also transmitting LD, and millions of Americans are  hosting the bacterium.  It was only a matter of time before the problem would surface in Utah.

Excerpted from ABC   ( Posted: 3/27/2010 )

LEHI, Utah County (ABC 4 News) – A neighborhood in northern Lehi has a cluster of Lyme Disease cases.
 
What’s most alarming is that it appears that victims contracted the disease locally. Most health professionals say Utah does not have Lyme Disease. They say people catch it elsewhere.  That does not appear to be the case in Lehi.

It took nearly a year and a half for doctors to finally confirm that Emily has Lyme Disease. Emily, who lives on 2800 North, now has a chronic case. Even the relatively simple task of helping her kids with their homework can at times be difficult. Emily said, “My symptoms got progressively worse. I started out with the flu stuff, then vertigo. I was so sick I had to hold myself up.”

Hoping that LD will not infest your neighborhood is not a  strategy. Just like culling one species (deer) and thinking the problem will be eradicated is simplistic and foolish.  Or spraying for ticks to reduce ticks, but omit other problematic parasites.  Instead: educate; educate; educate the public as to the real dangers and realities of LD.

The answer to this pandemic is not yet upon us.  So, in the short term we need to admit the IDSA guidelines were completely fraudulent and incorrect; educate the WORLD on properly identifying LD symptoms early; be more liberal with antibiotics; keep your immune system strong; and above all else, stop threatening Lyme Literate Doctors (LLD) when proactively treating their patients.

So for now, let’s follow the advice of  Hill Street Blues’ Sergeant Esterhaus: “Let’s be careful out there.”

Rob

For the complete ABC  article: http://www.abc4.com/mostpopular/story/Lyme-Disease-cluster-in-Lehi-neighborhood/PAW7VtFlskukr07SQcR2DQ.cspx

KSL TV video: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=10182560

~ by Rob on March 27, 2010.

Posted in Commentary, Lyme
Tags: IDSA, Lyme, Lyme Disease, ticks, Utah