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This Month's e-Health Tip:
Protect Yourself from Lyme in Time
Love walking in the woods or romping with your dog in the back yard? Unfortunately there may be nasty little deer ticks lying in wait for a nice warm body. Deer ticks can cause Lyme disease, a serious condition that can lead to problems including arthritis and rarely, heart disease.
Typically, Lyme disease begins with a characteristic bull's-eye rash. Fatigue, chills, fevers and persistent joint pain can follow. In some cases, people with the disease develop arthritis. And if the disease is not treated, heart and nervous system can occur. Antibiotics can cure Lyme disease, but there isn't a definitive laboratory test to tell if you have it.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported that cases of Lyme disease increased by 70 percent over a six-year period ending in 1998: 16,802 reported cases in 1998, 9,909 cases in 1992.
Fortunately, you can protect yourself. Immunizations are now available -- but you need to start now to build up your immunity. You need to get a series of three shots to do so.
To be protected, you need two shots given about a month apart, and then a third shot a year later. After the series, the LYMErix vaccination offers about 80 percent protection from Lyme disease. After the first two shots, you have about a 50 percent chance of being protected.
Who should be immunized?
Medical experts are advising vaccination for those aged 15 to 70 who live in states such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey where the deer tick is commonly found. They also suggest vaccination for those people who spend a lot of time outdoors.
Until the third shot takes effect, follow this advice:
Spray your clothes with an insecticide containing the chemical DEET. (DEET should not be used on children aged two and under).
Wear long sleeves and pants, and tuck the pants legs in your boots when you hike through woods or thick brush.
Check yourself and your pets for ticks when you come home. Don't panic if you have been bitten. Not all ticks carry Lyme disease.
Remove the tick with a tweezers, keeping the head intact. Don't "smother" it with Vaseline or creams in the hopes of killing it. It will just burrow deeper.
If you think you have been bitten, call your doctor for advice.
To learn more:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page on Lyme disease.
The Lyme Disease Foundation
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Copyright © 2008. The Healthy Basket.
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