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Add to FavoritesLyme disease IS becoming an epidemic in North America. Not only do I suffer from Lyme disease, my father and my step-mother have the disease as well. My step-mother is permanently disabled from the affects of Lyme disease. I was told by a local physician that I did not have Lyme disease, when in fact I did. He based his opinion, and it was an opinion since he did no medical tests or evaluation, on saying Lyme disease doesn't exist in Alabama.
I have never been to Connecticut, where the disease originated. I've never been to any neighboring states. I contracted Lyme disease in Alabama. Luckily, my parent's physician specializes in Lyme patients and I am now seeing him. While the Lyme disease is in recession for all of us, we all suffer from either a co-infection or disability from Lyme.
I hate to think of how many people have Lyme disease but have been misdiagnosed due to physicians like the one I saw prior to my current physician. Not only are there misdiagnosed cases, not all are reported. According to the CDC, only about 10% of actual cases meet the CDC surveillance criteria.
According to the CDC.gov website, over 23,000 patients met the CDC surveillance criteria for cases of Lyme disease in 2005. The average number of reported cases has remained over 21,000 per year in the United States, make Lyme disease the most common illness transmitted by bugs or animals.
Lyme disease is a systemic infection that can affect all systems of the human body. This disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi.
Lyme Disease has many symptoms including fever, sweats, chills, flushing, weight changes, fatigue and tiredness, swollen glands, sore throat, pelvic pain, urinary problems, loss of libido, upset stomach, stiffness in the joints, back and neck, muscle pain, cramps, twitching, headaches, tingling, numbness, burning and stabbing sensations, facial paralysis known as
Bell's Palsy, double vision, blurry vision and floaters, ringing in ears, increased motion sickness and vertigo, lightheadedness, wooziness, poor balance, difficulty walking, tremors, confusion, difficulty thinking, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, poor short term memory, disorientation, difficulty writing and speaking, mood swings, irritability, depression, disturbed sleep, constipation, diarrhea, chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, heart palpitations and more.This is not a disease to be taken lightly and to ignore that this is becoming an epidemic in North America is very irresponsible and is a dangerous denial of a very serious problem.
For more information on Lyme disease, visit The Lyme Disease Association, Inc. website.
Learn more about this author, Monica Garrett.
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No
Is Lyme disease becoming an epidemic in North America? No.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines epidemic as "an outbreak of a contagious disease that spreads rapidly and widely." The key words here are outbreak, rapidly, and widely. Influenza is an example of a contagious disease that can occur as an outbreak, and becomes rapidly widespread in its distribution. Lyme disease, while also a contagious disease, does not occur suddenly in widespread, rapid outbreaks, but rather occurs in significantly high numbers in localized regions of the United States over a long period of time.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "In the ten states where Lyme disease is most common, the average was 31.6 cases for every 100,000," versus "a national average of 7.9 cases for every 100,000 persons."1
As far as Lyme disease being widespread, the CDC reported 17,002 cases of the disease in the U.S. in 2006, while 23, 364 cases were reported in 2005, (CDC MMWR 55:1378-1408,2007, Table II).2 These people contracted the disease over yearlong intervals. During the 1918 influenza epidemic, which was sudden, widespread, and rapidly transmitted, "In the U.S., about 28% of the population suffered, and 500,000 to 675,000 died."3
Although both influenza and Lyme disease are contagious, or infectious diseases, the rapidity of their transmission differs by environmental conditions, and gestation periods of the contagions. A person can only get Lyme disease by exposure to a specific insect under relatively rare and specific conditions; while a person can easily become infected with influenza wherever people congregate and the virus is present. And it can happen quickly, which is why influenza can so easily become an epidemic. Therefore, Lyme disease cannot be considered an epidemic by definition.
Thus the argument "Is Lyme disease becoming an epidemic in North America?" is stated. This does not mean that the current spread of the disease, whether it is an epidemic, is not a problem. It is a debilitating disease that at worst, is capable of ultimately killing its host. At best it can cause permanent damage to almost every major system of the human body, particularly the respiratory, nervous, and circulatory systems. In either case, it is usually because diagnosis and treatment of the disease is never received, or is received too late to do any good.
How can you help prevent this from happening to you? Education. Learn to identify the tick that carries the disease and how it is transmitted. Learn how the ticks operate and where they like to hide on your body. Learn what to do if you find a tick embedded in your skin. Learn the symptoms of the disease so that if you ever should show signs of it, you know to seek immediate medical treatment. Note that many general practitioners still aren't familiar with the symptoms since this is still a relatively little known disease. Insist upon a blood test for the bacteria's presence in your body.
Know how to lessen your chances of contact with the disease bearing ticks by proper prevention. You can be exposed to ticks carrying Lyme Disease in the backyard of a house in a beautifully manicured subdivision as easily as you can be exposed in waist high prairie grass. Use bug spray and check yourself, your children, and pets anytime they have been outside. Many people suggest practicing primate grooming habits. Identify if you live in one of the areas where Lyme disease is locally prevalent.
A good reference for material about Lyme Disease can be found at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website at http://www.cdc.gov/n cidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_ resources.htm.
As is the case with most diseases, the more you educate yourself about it, the less likely you are to get it. And certainly, if we all practice good prevention, and do what we can to prevent its spread, we might never worry about it becoming an epidemic.
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Lyme Disease
"Reported Cases of Lyme Disease by Year, United States, 1991-2005, Table,"
http://www.cdc.gov/n cidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_ UpClimbLymeDis.htm
Retrieved on 2007-12-14
2. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease,
National Institutes of Health,
"Lyme Disease,"
http://www3.niaid.ni h.gov/topics/lymeDis ease/understanding/
Retrieved on 2007-12-14
3. Wikipedia,
"Spanish Flu,"
"Mortality,"
http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Spanish_flu
Retrieved on 2007-12-14
Learn more about this author, Jack Pine.
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