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DEER TICK

POSTED BY THE FAIRHAVEN BOARD OF HEALTH

WEST ISLAND IS A TICK INFESTED AREA-TICKS CAN CAUSE LYME DISEASE, SEE INFORMATIONAL VIDEOS BELOW AND ARTICLE BY THE STANDARD-TIMES PRINTED NOVEMBER 17, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THE FAIRHAVEN BOARD OF HEALTH 1-508-979-4022 

As autumn speeds toward winter, pet owners and those who still venture outdoors are making a potentially dangerous discovery: The hills and fields are alive with ticks that spread debilitating Lyme disease.

The fall surge in tick activity has more to do with the life cycle of the tiny parasites than with the weather, said John Carroll, an entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's research center in Beltsville, Md.

Starting in the middle of October, adult deer ticks begin to emerge from the leaf litter, a layer of fallen leaves and other decaying organic matter, and crawl up tall grasses, unkempt brush and other vegetation in search of host animals on which to feed. These ticks ate their last meal in June and were dormant most of the summer as they shed their skin and transformed from juvenile ticks, or nymphs, into adults.

"What we are seeing now are the ones that fed on animals in the late spring and summer and are now looking to get another meal," Dr. Carroll said.

Adult deer ticks are about the size of a sesame seed and are easier to spot than the smaller nymphs, which can be as small as a poppy seed. Both can spread Lyme disease when they bite their host and stay attached for 24 hours.

During their nearly two-year life span, ticks feed just three times for about a three- to five-day period, Dr. Carroll said. In the spring, humans are more likely to contract Lyme disease from nymphs, which start feeding in May. Larvae — baby ticks that are younger than nymphs — tend to feed in the summer months.

The fall boom of adult deer ticks typically lasts through November and starts to slow in December as it grows colder and the ticks head back into the leaf litter. But a 50-degree Fahrenheit day in the middle of winter could make the ticks active again, Dr. Carroll said.

Vets across the area say that spring and fall are the times of year when ticks and tick bites are most common.

Other tick experts point to the weather as a reason for the high number of ticks this fall.

"We are having milder and milder falls and early winters ... so that just pushes back the time when these ticks are moving around," said James Griffith, professor of medical laboratory science at UMass Dartmouth. "So on the one hand, given the weather, there could be more ticks, but that isn't to say there's going to be more Lyme disease."

It is estimated that more than half of deer ticks carry Lyme disease, and many also carry other diseases.

Many northeastern states, Wisconsin and Minnesota have rates of Lyme disease that are significantly higher than the rest of the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Lyme disease rate in Massachusetts continues to rise, the CDC reported. The rate of infection per 100,000 people was 3.7 in 1992, jumped to 11.4 by 1998 and was 22.3 in 2006, the last year for which figures were available.

Dr. Griffith said that the fall marks an increase in the field mouse population, another animal that could help Lyme disease spread if multiple ticks bite an infected mouse. Other animals can cause a spread of the disease as well.

"Here in Southeastern Massachusetts where you can't discharge a firearm inside a municipal boundary, we have a very high deer population," he said.

The increased incidence of Lyme disease, coupled with symptoms that manifest themselves weeks to months after a person is infected, have people seeking medical treatment during any season.

"We do see cases really throughout almost the whole year," said Judy Menard, director of infection prevention for Southcoast Hospitals Group. But, she added, "this time of year you might see a little bit of a resurge."

If Lyme disease is caught in its early stages, it usually can be treated with antibiotics taken by mouth, Ms. Menard said. Later stages of the disease require stronger treatments, including antibiotics by IV for several weeks. "It's more invasive," Ms. Menard said.

The disease can have devastating effects on its victims. Assonet resident Dianne Nassr got bit by a deer tick while at her son's baseball game five years ago. Although she received antibiotic treatment right away, symptoms of fatigue and joint pain lingered for years.

"I was so tired that I couldn't get out of bed until noontime," she said.

It wasn't until two years later that she found relief, when she tried a therapy called Theta healing, which heals using mind, body and spirit. She now operates her own Theta healing business in Fall River.

Mark Perry wasn't so lucky. After getting bit by a tick in fall 1999, the New Bedford resident suffered from fevers, pain and insomnia. Doctors tested for Lyme disease, but because the tests check for antibodies and not the bacteria itself, the test gets less accurate over time. His tests came back negative.

Meanwhile, Mr. Perry's symptoms had progressed to memory loss, vision loss and "problems with critical thinking," he said.

"Mentally, I was feeling every day I was losing my mind more and more."

It wasn't until earlier this year that he was accurately diagnosed as having Lyme disease and started to see a specialist in New York. Now he receives antibiotics by IV every day at home, and he is improving.

"I'm so much better," Mr. Perry said. "I have a long, long way to go, but I'm so much better than I was."

Mr. Perry used to be a strategy and leadership development consultant, but the Lyme disease took a toll on his cognitive abilities. He doubts he will be able to perform that job again.

"I will make significant improvements, but chances are neurologically I won't ever improve enough to go back to what I was doing."

Animals too, can be harmed from the effects of the disease, said Dr. Gerald Pietsch, the veterinarian at Anchor Animal Hospital in Dartmouth. He treats animals, mostly dogs, suffering from Lyme, with symptoms ranging from limping and swollen joints to kidney failure in rare cases. Tests can diagnose whether the symptoms are indeed Lyme disease and if the disease is an active infection that warrants treatment, usually 30 days of antibiotics.

"The very best method of protection is not to get ticks," Dr. Pietsch said. That means staying on marked trails or avoiding the woods all together during peak tick times, checking oneself and one's pet for ticks after a walk and using a topical tick medication on pets. Dogs can get vaccinated against Lyme disease if they do not already have the bacteria; it is effective for 85 percent of dogs.

The most important thing to remember, Dr. Pietsch said, is that there is no season that is "safe" from ticks or their diseases.

"An animal can be infected with Lyme disease any time of the year," he said.

Standard-Times staff writer Becky W. Evans contributed to this story.

Contact Jennifer Lade at jlade@s-t.com

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