Linda
Hello everyone!
I am starting a Tennessee Lyme Organization (I need a good acronyme) and if you want to be on the mailing list please email me. We are a part of five right now--but I know it will grow. I promise I will never give out email addresses.
If you choice to take this mission I have your first assignment.
Please read the following article and then write to the Tennessee Health Department at:
And ask why the %$&* they aren't doing something like this!!!!
Also you might want to write the the Atlanta Constitution and Georgia health departmetn and say thank you.
THANK YOU!
Linda
If anyone can find a better email address that would be cool.
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/auto/epaper/editions/monday/metro_24c6199333afc00d1041.html
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ticked off? State wants the evidence
Patricia Guthrie - Staff
Monday, April 25, 2005
Finally, a place to mail those creepy, burrowing, biting ticks.
Georgia health and poison control officials want bloodsucking
parasites that have attached themselves to humans (but not man's
best friends) to study the severity and range of tick-carrying
diseases.
"We need for anyone who has a tick attached to them to call the
Georgia Poison Center. . . . and arrange to have the tick mailed to
us," said Dr. Stuart Brown, acting director of the state's Division
of Public Health. "The more ticks we receive, the greater our
opportunity to learn where ticks are biting people in Georgia and if
they are carrying disease-causing organisms."
Poison control officials will tell callers how to safely remove
ticks, and how to package them (in a 1 ounce container, with 2
tablespoons rubbing alcohol). Within three weeks, health workers
will call to ask about exposure to tick habitats and symptoms of
tick-borne illnesses.
As weather warms, ticks move in and multiply in shady, moist areas,
tall grass and along hiking trails. Ticks also can take up residence
in back yards surrounded by woods. They're not insects, but
arachnids like mites, spiders and scorpions.
Ticks attack from the ground up, burrowing into ankles and legs or
other exposed skin, clothes, socks, shoes or hiking boots when
unsuspecting prey pass by or sit down. While many people and their
pets get bit by ticks, few get sick. Generally, it takes ticks 24
hours to successfully transmit disease into a "host," so daily tick
checks are advised when coming in from the outdoors.
In Georgia, American dog, lone star, and black-legged ticks can
carry five diseases harmful to humans, including Lyme disease and
Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Symptoms include fever, rash, headache
and muscle pain, occurring from three days to four weeks after a
bite. Nausea, swollen lymph nodes, chills and weakness also can
occur.
Apparently, Georgians are more than willing to advance the science
of ticks. Or at least send them packing.
"We're getting so overwhelmed with tick questions," said Sheri
Webster with the Georgia Poison Center, "mostly about how to mail
them to us."
> FOR TICK PHOTOS: www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegal/ticks/
PREVENTING TICK BITES
> Wear insect repellent containing DEET on your skin
> Wear insect repellent containing permethrin on your clothes (not
on skin)
> Tuck pants into socks and shirt into pants so ticks can't crawl up
pants legs
> Wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be seen easily and removed
> Wear a hat and pull long hair back
> Do tick checks frequently. Check behind ears and knees, underarms,
and groin. Ask someone to help you check your back and scalp,
especially the nape of the neck. Take a shower, wash hair
> Do not sit directly on the ground; use a blanket or towel
> Remove excess brush and keep grass mowed around
the house
Source: Georgia Division of Public Health
HOW TO REMOVE A TICK
Grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible with fine-
tipped tweezers. Pull the tick slowly, straight out. Wash and treat
the bite area with a disinfectant. Don't squeeze the tick, twist the
tick, light the tick on fire or cover the tick in petroleum jelly,
nail polish, alcohol or kerosene. Call the Georgia Poison Center to
participate in the Tick Attach Study: 404-616-9000 or 1-800-222-1222.
***
LETTERS: http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/letters/sendletter.html
**************
http://www.fox21.com/Global/story.asp?S=3258780
April 25, 2005
FOX Carolina
The 10 O'Clock News
Ticks in Mail
Hoping to fill gaps in our knowledge of tick habits, habitat and,
most importantly, potential for spreading disease, researchers in
Georgia are asking residents to mail in ticks they have removed from
their bodies. The ticks' victims also will be surveyed on the
circumstances of the tick exposure and their subsequent health.
"The more ticks we receive, the greater our opportunity to learn
where ticks are biting people in Georgia and if they are carrying
disease-causing organisms," said Dr. Stuart Brown, acting director
of the Georgia Division of Public Health, a partner in the
research. The state is working with the University of Georgia and
the Georgia Poison Center on the so-called Tick Attach Study.
Researchers want only ticks that have been attached to humans,
narrowing the eligible species to a relatively short list compared
to the hundreds of tick species that do not bother people, Dr. Brown
said. Ticks of interest are the American dog tick, the lone star
tick and the black-legged tick. They carry organisms causing five
diseases: Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, tularemia,
Southern tick-associated rash illness and human monocytic
ehrlichiosis.
According to the health department, most tick-related disease in
Georgia occurs in April and September. Symptoms differ for each
ailment, but typical tick-borne diseases become noticeable anytime
from three days to four weeks after a bite and can include fever,
rash, headache and muscle pain, Dr. Brown said. Some people may also
develop nausea, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and weakness.
GOT A TICK? If you live in Georgia, call the Georgia Poison Center
at (404) 616-9000 or (800) 222-1222 to report an attached tick and
for instructions for saving and mailing it to Georgia researchers.
Removing the Tick Grasp close to the skin surface with fine-tipped
tweezers Pull straight out slowly Wash and treat bite with
disinfectant DO NOT squeeze, twist or burn the tick DO NOT cover
tick in petroleum jelly, nail polish alcohol, or kerosene. Ticks and
Disease Three tick species and five diseases they can give us:
Black-legged tick: Lyme disease American dog tick: Rocky Mountain
Spotted Fever, tularemia Lone star tick: Southern tick-associated
rash illness, human monocytic ehrlichiosis.