As if Lyme disease isn't enoughHealth department warns deer ticks are spreading

[Franky]

Health department warns deer ticks are spreading two other illnesses
BY ELLEN TOMSON
Pioneer Press

Warning: Now is the time of year to be wary of an unwanted "guest" - specifically a black-legged traveler, Ixodes scapularis, considered a dangerous carrier and potentially fatal.

It's a blood-sucking arachnid with a well-known alias: deer tick.

We've learned to loathe it for what it can transmit: Lyme disease. The debilitating infection sometimes makes itself apparent with a slowly spreading bull's-eye-shaped rash, but is often misdiagnosed because early symptoms resemble the flu.

Now Minnesota health officials are emphasizing we should be on the lookout for two more health threats from deer ticks.

One is human anaplasmosis, or HA, a bacterial disease first recognized in Minnesota and western Wisconsin in 1993.

The other is babesiosis, a protozoan infection. Of patients diagnosed with babesiosis, about 20 percent also have Lyme disease from the same deer tick bite.

"We're seeing similar patterns with all three diseases in terms of numbers," said Melissa Kemperman, vector-borne disease epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health. "They are all seeming to increase over time and we are expecting the numbers will continue to rise."

Elderly people and individuals with compromised immune systems are the most vulnerable to babesiosis and anaplasmosis, according to Kemperman. Some people can be infected with two or more tick-borne infections at once, making diagnosis tricky.

The signs and symptoms of babesiosis, which include high fever, muscle aches, chills, fatigue, headache and loss of appetite, may go away without treatment. But some cases may be severe.

The state recorded 18 cases of babesiosis last year. Three people have died from the infection in the past three years.

If you suspect you or someone else has the disease, it is important to see a doctor immediately since early diagnosis and treatment with antimicrobial drugs can reduce the time a person is ill, as well as the severity of the infection.

Signs and symptoms of human anaplasmosis include a fever over 102 degrees, a severe headache, muscle aches, chills and shakes. Less frequently, those infected may also have nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, weight loss, abdominal pain, coughing, diarrhea, joint aches and mental changes. HA is treated with antibiotics.

Minnesota recorded 790 cases of the disease from 1998 to 2005. That included a record 186 cases in 2005. State health experts believe the rise in human anaplasmosis cases is due to increasing physician awareness of the disease, increasing infection rates in ticks and an expanding tick distribution.

About 68 percent of human anaplasmosis cases in Minnesota in 2005 occurred in males, with a median age of 47. That is similar to the demographic of Lyme disease in the state.

Individuals reported 914 cases of Lyme disease in Minnesota last year. A tick must be attached for 24 to 48 hours to transmit bacteria, and the chance of getting Lyme disease increases the longer the tick is attached.

Historically, most tick-borne disease in Minnesota involves exposure to infected ticks in forested portions of east central counties, or in the St. Croix and Mississippi river valleys of eastern and southeastern Minnesota.

Recent data, however, suggest that exposures are occurring in areas of northern, west central, central and southeastern counties on the periphery of the historical endemic range, indicating a northward and westward expansion of disease risk.

The state health department last year added Beltrami, Clearwater, Itasca, Todd, Houston and Hubbard counties, as well as parts of Becker county, to its endemic risk map of Minnesota.

"Every year, we re-evaluate where we are getting reports," said Kemperman, noting the periodic updates on the department's online risk map.

Onsets of illness have peaked in July, corresponding to the peak activity of nymphal Ixodes scapularis in mid-May through mid-July.

Ellen Tomson can be reached at etomson@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5455.

[Franky]

Health department warns deer ticks are spreading two other illnesses
BY ELLEN TOMSON
Pioneer Press

Warning: Now is the time of year to be wary of an unwanted "guest" - specifically a black-legged traveler, Ixodes scapularis, considered a dangerous carrier and potentially fatal.

It's a blood-sucking arachnid with a well-known alias: deer tick.

We've learned to loathe it for what it can transmit: Lyme disease. The debilitating infection sometimes makes itself apparent with a slowly spreading bull's-eye-shaped rash, but is often misdiagnosed because early symptoms resemble the flu.

Now Minnesota health officials are emphasizing we should be on the lookout for two more health threats from deer ticks.

One is human anaplasmosis, or HA, a bacterial disease first recognized in Minnesota and western Wisconsin in 1993.

The other is babesiosis, a protozoan infection. Of patients diagnosed with babesiosis, about 20 percent also have Lyme disease from the same deer tick bite.

"We're seeing similar patterns with all three diseases in terms of numbers," said Melissa Kemperman, vector-borne disease epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health. "They are all seeming to increase over time and we are expecting the numbers will continue to rise."

Elderly people and individuals with compromised immune systems are the most vulnerable to babesiosis and anaplasmosis, according to Kemperman. Some people can be infected with two or more tick-borne infections at once, making diagnosis tricky.

The signs and symptoms of babesiosis, which include high fever, muscle aches, chills, fatigue, headache and loss of appetite, may go away without treatment. But some cases may be severe.

The state recorded 18 cases of babesiosis last year. Three people have died from the infection in the past three years.

If you suspect you or someone else has the disease, it is important to see a doctor immediately since early diagnosis and treatment with antimicrobial drugs can reduce the time a person is ill, as well as the severity of the infection.

Signs and symptoms of human anaplasmosis include a fever over 102 degrees, a severe headache, muscle aches, chills and shakes. Less frequently, those infected may also have nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, weight loss, abdominal pain, coughing, diarrhea, joint aches and mental changes. HA is treated with antibiotics.

Minnesota recorded 790 cases of the disease from 1998 to 2005. That included a record 186 cases in 2005. State health experts believe the rise in human anaplasmosis cases is due to increasing physician awareness of the disease, increasing infection rates in ticks and an expanding tick distribution.

About 68 percent of human anaplasmosis cases in Minnesota in 2005 occurred in males, with a median age of 47. That is similar to the demographic of Lyme disease in the state.

Individuals reported 914 cases of Lyme disease in Minnesota last year. A tick must be attached for 24 to 48 hours to transmit bacteria, and the chance of getting Lyme disease increases the longer the tick is attached.

Historically, most tick-borne disease in Minnesota involves exposure to infected ticks in forested portions of east central counties, or in the St. Croix and Mississippi river valleys of eastern and southeastern Minnesota.

Recent data, however, suggest that exposures are occurring in areas of northern, west central, central and southeastern counties on the periphery of the historical endemic range, indicating a northward and westward expansion of disease risk.

The state health department last year added Beltrami, Clearwater, Itasca, Todd, Houston and Hubbard counties, as well as parts of Becker county, to its endemic risk map of Minnesota.

"Every year, we re-evaluate where we are getting reports," said Kemperman, noting the periodic updates on the department's online risk map.

Onsets of illness have peaked in July, corresponding to the peak activity of nymphal Ixodes scapularis in mid-May through mid-July.

Ellen Tomson can be reached at etomson@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5455.

[maryok]

Lindalu learned this ALL too well just the other day, right Linda? Maybe this explains your horrific experience. I hope you've recovered from that awful day.

[maryok]

Lindalu learned this ALL too well just the other day, right Linda? Maybe this explains your horrific experience. I hope you've recovered from that awful day.

[lindalu]

Awful!!!!
I don't care what they say about "WHERE" these are most likely to be..........I live in town- 2 blocks off a main street in town. The bunny in my yard was infested with deer ticks. They are everywhere and so small that they would not easily be noticed (the size of a pin head). And, my gut is beginning to tell me there is often a correlation between lyme and morgellons...........Linda

[lindalu]

Awful!!!!
I don't care what they say about "WHERE" these are most likely to be..........I live in town- 2 blocks off a main street in town. The bunny in my yard was infested with deer ticks. They are everywhere and so small that they would not easily be noticed (the size of a pin head). And, my gut is beginning to tell me there is often a correlation between lyme and morgellons...........Linda

[robertalouise]

Hi Lindalu thank you so much for you post. I agree with you. I live in a large city Auckland New Zealand and have never seen a live deer. But a dog I got from the Humane Society 11 years ago came from a farm and two weeks after getting her I got this terrible "thing" and the horrendous itching. My dog (Ayla) was allowed to eat and catch rats and rabbits (which I find abhorant) I am sure that Ayla gave this to me and introduced it into my house. But no Vets or Doctors believe me. Ayla died not long after I got another puppy from the SPCA and with in two days the puppy was itching My old dog Ayla has died but my new dog Kyra and myself are still itching. What amazes me is that this doesn't affect Kyras skin but breeds in her coat With me it affects me from my scalp to the soles of my feet. I thank God for this board and the Lymebusters board as I get quite suicidal at times and don't know why I keep going. I think that I do because of my daughter and my dog. Best wishes and thank you for your post. Roberta.