Word: lyme
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...realize they're burying their heads in your body. And they suck your blood for hours at a stretch. Besides grossing you out, ticks may carry certain bacteria that can make you very, very sick, as thousands of folks in the Northeast and Midwest who have developed Lyme disease can tell...
...Lyme disease isn't the only or even the deadliest tick-borne infection. Ever since 1986, when the first cases cropped up in the U.S., researchers have been keeping a watchful eye on a debilitating and sometimes fatal flu-like ailment called Ehrlichiosis. The infection is transmitted by the Lone Star tick in the southern half of the U.S. and the ever present deer tick in the north. It was once thought to afflict only dogs and horses, but four strains of bacteria that affect people have been identified in the past decade. Last week came word that a fifth...
What's particularly worrisome about Ehrlichiosis is that it's not easy to spot. There's no telltale rash, as occurs in Lyme disease. Nor is there an easy test for it. Doctors must rely on such circumstantial evidence as a low level of white blood cells and abnormal spots on those cells. And an antibiotic commonly prescribed for Lyme disease--amoxicillin--is useless for treating Ehrlichiosis. Fortunately, there's another drug, doxycycline, that does the trick. Left untreated, however, severe cases of the infection can kill in a few days...
TICK TOC One drawback of the Lyme-disease vaccine that came out in April was that it took so long to kick in. Doctors were supposed to administer it in three injections over the course of a year. Now there's a reprieve. A new study shows that the shots work as well when given over six months. But don't go rolling around in the grass just yet. If you start now, by July you will have 50% protection against the tick-borne disease. And after the last shot, you'll still be only 78% protected...
...most important thing to remember if you get vaccinated is that you can still develop Lyme disease. So pay attention to any unusual symptoms, like an expanding red rash, that might indicate an active infection. The vaccine makes diagnosis a little more complicated since it means you will automatically test positive on the most commonly used test. There is also a theoretical risk that the vaccine could mask the rash, but once again researchers found no evidence of this effect in the trial...