Date: Fri 20-Oct-1995

Publication: Hea

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Lyme-Disease-deer-ticks-

Full Text:

Dry Weather Caused A Dip In Deer Tick Population And Lyme Disease

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

The stretch of dry weather during last summer resulted in a drop in the tick

population according to scientific testing in the Lyme area.

The dryness caused the tick population to drop substantially, said Dr Kirby C.

Stafford, III, an associate scientist in the Department of Entomology at The

Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. Dr Stafford has been

studying the tick population in the Lyme area since 1989.

"The ticks are very susceptible to dry conditions," he said.

During the period from January 1, 1995, to September 29, 1995, there were 23

percent fewer reported cases of Lyme disease in the state than there were

during the same period in 1994, Dr Stafford noted.

Lyme disease, a malady which causes arthritis-like symptoms in its victims, is

transmitted by tick bites. Some 1,214 cases of Lyme disease were reported in

Connecticut from January 1 through September 29 of this year. Considering the

rate at which Lyme disease has been reported in the state this calendar year,

Dr Stafford estimates there may be between 1,600 and 1,800 cases of the

disease reported by the end of the year.

From Januray 1, 1995, to September 29, 1995, there had been 20 Lyme disease

cases reported in Newtown, he said.

"People are most often bitten by the deer ticks, which carry the disease, from

mid-May through July," he said. "However, the reporting of the disease isn't

always timely."

Dr Stafford said his research into the tick population in the Lyme area is

designed, in part, to work out some formula to determine the relationship

between between the deer tick population and the incidence of Lyme disease

among humans. The malady is known as Lyme disease because the scientific work

which described the disease was first done that area.

Most people who are diagnosed with the disease early and then receive prompt

treatment will fully recover from Lyme disease, Dr Stafford said. Those who

acquire the disease but are not diagnosed early or treated promptly run a risk

of lingering effects from the disease. Lyme disease is treated with a course

antiobiotic medications.

According to Dr Stafford, Lyme disease is a multisystem illness that affects

the skin, joints, nervous system, and less frequently, the heart and eyes. The

disease was first recognized from a cluster of arthritis patients in Lyme.

Since 1975, the incidence of the disease has increased dramatically with over

55,000 cases nationwide. Lyme disease occurs mainly in the Northeastern,

Mid-Atlantic and North Central states, and California.

People who supspect they may have contracted Lyme disease should consult their

physician. A basic symptom of the disease is the appearance of a red rash on

the body. Lyme disease may be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms and

signs vary among individuals, according to Dr Stafford.