It’s mid-July already, and I’ve been trying to get ticks to follow the rules of social distancing. The president of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies says, ”I’ve begged them to stop biting people, to understand that we all need to take a break, and that people need to get outside and enjoy their time in nature. To no avail.”
We’ve all been locked in for awhile because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of us have been good about wearing our masks and distancing physically. However, more of us — and our pets — have been outdoors for fun and therapy during this difficult time. Yet the more we spend time outdoors, the more likely we’ll get bitten by a tick. This is kind of a wild card. We should all be aware of all the risks we (and our pets) are facing.
If you get bitten by a tick, it’s potentially serious business. If not caught and treated early, various studies suggest that anywhere from 20 percent to 60 percent of infected patients will go on to experience long-lasting and debilitating symptoms which may be difficult or impossible to resolve with current treatments. See, for example, the excellent discussion put out by the Lyme Disease Association (LDA) as well as the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) at lymediseaseassociation.org/about-lyme/medical-lyme/treatment-guidelines.
You may click “Burrascano Diagnostic Hints & Guidelines, 16th edition”, and go to pages 9-11 for Lyme symptoms. These symptoms can affect all parts of your body and brain, including muscle weakness, spasms, disseminated pain, sleep issues, extreme fatigue, cognitive issues, and more. Unfortunately, the early symptoms of Lyme may be minimal or non-existent, and blood tests are unreliable, making it difficult to get timely and proper treatment. Only about half of humans exhibit the classic bulls-eye or target-like rash that is the only definitive marker of infection. So, while we are all focusing on COVID-19, let’s not drop our guard regarding Lyme disease.
Excellent websites for more information on ticks and prevention:
lymedisease.org click “Lyme Basics”. This also includes a canine map as dogs are routinely screened for Lyme disease through a nationwide program as well as the close association of dogs with humans
Remove the tick with tweezers by pulling straight out. If you can’t remove it completely, go to your primary care physician or the emergency room ASAP -- you don’t want the head of the tick to remain in your body. You can find more information on tick removal at tickease.com.
If you want to identify your tick, get the awesome new app called “TickTracker”, which can usually identify the tick from a photo on your phone. This app will also tell you if the tick has the potential to carry Lyme disease (and other tick-borne diseases). Save and send the tick in for testing. It’s much easier and much cheaper to test the tick than it is to test a person. An infected person may take weeks or months to test positive — and standard two-tier testing as typically used in Oregon typically catches only about 50 percent of the cases (i.e., since each test misses a portion of those who are actually infected). Some people infected with tickborne illnesses never test positive on any Lyme test.
For physician referrals, contact Mary Jane Heppe, 541-806-3114.
Last March, former pro-tennis player Patrick McEnroe got bitten by a tick while running. He sent the tick to a lab, and it was infected with Lyme. He was then tested for COVID-19. His COVID test came back positive. “What happens when a pandemic meets another health crisis?” Symptoms overlap, and there are lots of ticks out there right now. And our summers seem longer. And most of us — and our pets — are outdoors longer. We’re in for some scary, confusing times.
However, if you remain vigilant and compliant, it won’t be so scary.
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