Word: lyme
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Back in the 1950s it was polio. Nowadays the big summertime scare--at least in the suburbs of the Northeast and northern Midwest--is Lyme disease. Caught early enough, the tick-borne infection can usually be cleared by taking antibiotics. But if the corkscrew-shaped bacteria, or spirochetes, that cause Lyme disease linger undetected in the body, they can trigger crippling arthritis, serious heart problems and even nerve damage...
This summer could be different. For the first time there is a vaccine against the Lyme-causing spirochetes. It's not perfect--you need to take three shots over 12 months, and by the time you're done you're still only 80% protected. Also, the vaccine won't work against the spirochetes in Europe, hasn't been approved for children under 15 (who are at the greatest risk of developing Lyme disease) and won't allow you to relax your guard in the garden or the woods, since ticks carry other diseases as well. But for folks who live...
...deer tick, or another member of the genus Ixodes, attaches to your body and starts sucking your blood, also swallowing the antibodies triggered by the vaccine. If all goes well, the antibodies then kill the Lyme-causing spirochetes in the tick's saliva and intestine. Twenty-four hours later, the tick drops off your body, and you're none the worse for wear. Booster shots will probably be required every few years to keep your antibody levels high...
...effects are soreness and redness at the site of the injection. A few unlucky people also develop fever, chills and other flulike symptoms that can last up to three days. Doctors have voiced concern that the vaccine could make matters worse for folks who are already unknowingly infected with Lyme spirochetes at the time of inoculation. Researchers looked for these problems during the vaccine's trial and didn't find any, but that doesn't mean they won't surface later...
Councillor Timothy J. Toomey Jr. erupted in rage after Vice Mayor Anthony D. Galluccio proposed a resolution asking the Managing Director of Lyme Properties David E. Clem and East Cambridge residents concerned over the development to sit down and talk over the proposal...