Media Release

For Immediate Release: September 21, 2005
Contact: Robert Marshall, PhD 401-222-1017 (623-0405 cell)

HEALTH UPDATE

Ticks and Lyme Disease Still Active in Rhode Island
Where to Go for More Information on Tick Bites and Lyme Disease

Ask any gardener, biker, hiker, or other nature lover spending time outdoors. Deer ticks were very active this summer and will continue into early winter. Bites from these ticks can transmit Lyme disease --a bacteria that can affect the joints, heart, and nerves or even complicate pregnancy. It is too early to know the results for 2005, but each year Rhode Islanders report between 250 and 850 cases of Lyme disease—a substantial undercount of actual disease. According to David R. Gifford, MD, MPH, Director of the RI Department of Health (HEALTH),"One of the biggest problems we have is getting a diagnosis. The early symptoms of Lyme disease are so common that many infected people may think they have a cold."

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea and swollen glands. Many people who are infected with Lyme disease develop a rash that begins as a red circular patch at the site of the bite. Left untreated, the rash and primary symptoms will fade away. Weeks or months later, symptoms such as migraine headaches, arthritis, dizziness or an irregular heartbeat can surface. At this stage, Lyme disease is much more difficult to treat.

“Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose early on because not everyone who contracts the disease exhibits the typical symptoms,” says Jennifer Mitty, MD, director of the Lyme Disease Clinic at Rhode Island Hospital and an infectious disease physician at The Miriam Hospital. “Patients who are not treated early in the course of the disease may develop late Lyme disease which can then be more difficult to treat. The Lyme Disease Clinic at Rhode Island Hospital specializes in treating and managing the more complicated cases with referrals to specialists, such as neurologists and rheumatologists, as needed.”

Ticks have to be on the body at least 24 hours to transmit the disease, so check yourself, children and pets (who can bring ticks into the house) right way after spending time outside where ticks are likely. To remove a tick, place tweezers close to the tick's head and pull straight back, taking care not to crush the tick. Make sure all parts of the mouth are removed. Wash and disinfect the bitten area.

To avoid tick bites, HEALTH recommends the following precautions:

• Stay away from wooded areas, or places with overgrown grass, brush, and bushes.
• Wear light-colored clothes to spot ticks more easily.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, and tuck pant legs into socks or boots.
• Use insect repellent containing 20% to 30% DEET on your clothes and exposed skin. On children (not infants), use repellent with 10% DEET.
• Check yourself daily for ticks. Inspect all parts of your body, including your armpits, scalp, and groin.

For general information about Lyme disease, go to www.health.ri.gov/topics/lyme.php. For questions about treatment for tick bites or Lyme disease, contact the Rhode Island Hospital Lyme Disease Clinic by calling the Lifespan Health Connection at 401-444-4800 or go to: www.lifespan.org/services/infectious/lyme/clinic.htm .