By Ashley Halsey III Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, April 8, 2009; B01
The black-legged tick nymphs that have caused Lyme disease reports in the Washington region to soar will emerge with the spring flowers this month, and one thing is certain: They are hungry.
The most recent statistics show that Lyme disease reports more than doubled in Virginia and Maryland from 2006 to 2007, the last year for which data are available. They have nearly doubled in the District, tripled in Howard County and quadrupled in Montgomery County. Loudoun County recorded half of all cases in Virginia.
"The black-legged tick is really coming down and taking hold in the Potomac region," said David Goodfriend, the Loudoun County health director. "There are a great many more ticks in the area than there were a number of years ago."
Goodfriend has had to become an expert on the disease, which takes its name from the town in Connecticut where a cluster of cases was first recognized in 1975. Since then, the disease has grown more prevalent along the East Coast, spreading south and west from Connecticut, with a number of mid-Atlantic states reporting an exponential growth in cases as the ticks rapidly multiply.
The ticks that carry the disease, which can result in heart and joint problems as well as Bell's palsy if not caught early, have been commonly called deer ticks because deer are the vehicles that are the Johnny Appleseeds in spreading the disease. But the unseen culprit in delivering the disease to humans is the white-footed mouse or another of his rodent friends.
The ticks need just three meals in their normal two-year life cycle. As larvae, they get their first feeding on the backs of rodents, which are disease carriers. The larvae grow into infected nymphs that drop off the rodent in the woods or someone's back yard.
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Posts: 503 | From Maryland | Registered: Oct 2007
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lymednva
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Yes. There is a discussion about it going on now at Lyme Friends in the DC group. Disgusting!!
-------------------- Lymednva Posts: 2407 | From over the river and through the woods | Registered: Apr 2006
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Leelee
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It's enough to make me lose any little bit of sanity I have left.
I can't believe the way it ended. The Washington Post really did a disservice to the public by printing such a nonsensical "cure".
-------------------- The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King,Jr Posts: 1573 | From Maryland | Registered: Feb 2009
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Leelee
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quote:Originally posted by lakes592: Shouldn't we be posting comments??
Hi lakes,
I went to the Washington Post website and posted my comment about the article. At the time there were about 50 responses.
A lot of people felt like we do, but unfortunately there were some respondents who had a less enlightened point of view.
I would really like to encourage anyone to go to wwww.washingtonpost.com and let his or her comment be counted.
-------------------- The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King,Jr Posts: 1573 | From Maryland | Registered: Feb 2009
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Tincup
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
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also, click on RECOMMENDED OR NOT! you don't have to register to do that!!!
i read them all and left mine there ....
I have had chronic lyme disease for 39 years last Christmas! 34.5 years MISDIAGNOSED by 40-50 DOCTORS !!! WHY?
It's because 300 other illnesses mimick lyme disease; ALS, MS, Parkinson's, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, mental illnesses, Bell's Palsy, ALZHEIMERS, etc.
Lyme has been around for over 100 years but was in early 1970s that Polly Murray, Lyme, Conn. pursued why all the kids in her neighborhood were getting sick and brought scientists in and it was diagnosed LYME disease then.
All 50 states have lyme and co-infection diseases; meaning the tick that bite you may have bartonella, babsiosa, erlichia, rocky mountain fever, & list goes on!!
1980 - Jan. 2008 ...all 50 states broken down by years!
Our lyme disease bills in congress have been there 10 years and haven't gone anywhere.
Please contact your federal house reps to ask them to Co-sponsor, HR 1179, tick-borne disease research/education bill, and this years senate no. NOT assigned yet, but was S 1708.
But who is stopping us from getting our bills on the house/senate sub-committees? It's the IDSA, iNFECTIOUS DISEASE SOCIETY, who have patents, grants, and other conflicts of interest who have paid almost $500,000 to NJ's house chair, FRANK PALLONE.
Now who are YOU going to listen to when you receive that type of lobbyist money??
We chronic lyme/co-infection patients pay ALL OR ALMOST ALL OUR LYME/CO-INFECTION EXPENSES OUT OF POCKET since the CDC has stated they are following the 2006 IDSA lyme guidelines which only IDSA 14 drs. had any input.
Our chronic lyme literate mds, LLMDS, were not permitted to be on the panel and have input although they treat for LONG-TERM antiobiotics vs. the IDSA who treat from ONE pill up to 3 weeks max and you are "cured"! HOG WASH BIG TIME.
They do not believe in CHRONIC LYME; yet by undertreating lyme, you will end up chronic!! That's the facts!
Also, SSDI, social security disability insurance, benefits are extremely hard to be approved for since on the outside we do not look like we are ill and can't perform physical work.
They can't see the 24/7 "construction zones" in our bodies fighting the lyme spirochete invading every oriface of our bodies especially our minds, hearts, lungs, & kidneys!
Unfortunately, MANY ERs are notorious for disbelief in chronic lyme, and will NOT discuss this issue. They don't do thorough testings and getting medical history; they are just in a hurry to get rid of you.
One of my friends has been in the hospital for 1 week. His dr. there will NOT speak to his treating LLMD about the meds he is on, etc.
This same friend also was recently in ER for 9 hours saying they would admit him with mitral valve problems, and yet another dr. comes on duty, and RELEASES him!!
His wife called his llmd, and dr. stated TAKE HIM IMMEDIATELY TO ANOTHER HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT FOR HIS MITRAL VALVE HEART PROBLEM. That's where he is today!
Please call your federal senators and house reps asking them to CO-SPONSOR HR 1179 and the SENATE VERSION, no. not assigned as yet.
We just want to be TREATED EQUALLY LIKE CANCER, AID/HIV, etc. patients .... no better; no worse ... just EQUALLY.
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