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Pest Management Priducts Division of CSPA
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Human Health Impact
Human tick-borne diseases are found in almost every state. The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reports that tick-borne disease is on the rise in the U.S., believes that available statistical data vastly underestimate the true incidence of tick-borne disease because only a small fraction of cases are seen or recognized by medical professionals. Blood testing is necessary to accurately diagnose all tick-borne diseases.
The bacteria that cause Lyme Disease, Human Granulocytic Ehrilichioisis and Babesiosis can all be carried by the deer tick. This means that a single bite by this species can potentially transmit more then one of the diseases.
Lyme Disease - The best known, Lyme Disease, is a bacterial infection transmitted by the bite of an infected deer tick. Taking its name from the town of Lyme, Conn., the disease is a chronic debilitating condition that may cause musculo-skeletal, cardiac and central nervous system disorders. A circular rash or skin lesion may be the first sign. The red blotch or circular "bull's eye" pattern may show at three to thirty days after a bite by an infected tick. The rash does not always occur at the bite site and may show at the armpit, groin or back of the knee. Other symptoms include fatigue, neck stiffness, muscle aches and flu-like symptoms such as headaches, chills, fever, dizziness, sore throat, cough and hoarseness. Later stage symptoms may not appear until weeks, months or years after a tick bite and can include memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and changes in mood and sleeping habits.
For more information about Lyme Disease visit the American Lyme Disease Foundation.
Rapid reforestation in northeastern states is the main factor in the surge in Lyme Disease over the last 17 years, according to the American Lyme Disease Foundation (ALDF). Travel may be the reason that the disease is now reported in almost every state, ALDF suggests. Lyme Disease continues to be a rapidly emerging infectious disease, accounting for more than 90% of all vector-borne illness reported to the U.S. by the CDC. In 1996, the CDC reported 16,455 cases in the U.S. and between 1982 and 1996, more than 99,000 cases.
Treatment is easy and effective if detected early. Antibiotics are administered under a physician's supervision. If undetected, however, a serious long-term disability can result.
