Enjoy Earth Day!

Did you know, this Thursday, April 22nd is Earth Day?

Get outside and enjoy the great outdoors.  But don't forget your sunscreen and your insect repellent!

Medline Plus refers you to the EPA to learn more about safe, effective insect repellents to ward off tick and mosquito bites:

 

 You can also learn more about applying insect repellent safely with this Minnesota Department of Health video:

High School Students Want to Know: What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?

Question #2:

What are the symptoms of Lyme disease? How does Lyme disease affect the human body?

Beyond the list of symptoms below, there are still more questions than answers.  There is a lot that medical science does not know about how the bacteria that cause Lyme disease affects the human body; for example, why there seems to be a lot of variation in symptoms and in the severity of symptoms between people and where the bacteria seem to cause problems, sometimes in the joints, sometimes the heart muscle and other times in the nervous system.  It’s an unusual type of bacteria, and we just have a lot to learn before we can really give a good answer to this question.

According to the CDC

Typical “early” signs are:

• A distinctive rash 
• Fever  
• Chills  
• Headache  
• Muscle and joint pain  
• Fatigue

Symptoms of untreated or long-term Lyme disease include:

• Multiple rashes 
• Facial paralysis on one side of the face
• Fever
• Stiff neck
• Headache
• Weakness, numbness or pain in arms or legs
• Irregular heartbeat
• Dizziness, feeling lightheaded, or heart palpitations
• Persistent weakness and fatigue
• Joint swelling from arthritis in one or more joints, usually the knees
• Problems with the nervous system
• Persistent weakness and fatigue

It is important to note that not everyone may have every symptom, and not all symptoms are equally severe from person to person. Read more from the CDC here.

 

Post by C. Fisher 

High School Students Want to Know

The Ixodes Outreach Project has been given grant money to conduct outreach programming.  This spring we offered Minnesota and Wisconsin high schools the opportunity to receive a virtual presentation on Lyme disease, managing tick bite risk, and information on how they can contribute to our research.

We received a lot of great questions as a result of these talks, so the head of our lab said, "Hey maybe we should answer these questions on the blog."

So, we are launching this new "feature."  Each week we will post a question from a high school student with the answer until we run out.

If anyone out there has other questions, please send them in!  We can always adapt and make it a The Community Wants to Know feature.

***

Question #1: 

What percentage of ticks carry the ability to give someone/what are the odds of getting Lyme disease?  

The percentage of ticks carrying the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease varies, but typically about 30-50% of ticks in Minnesota are expected to be carrying the bacteria.  

The odds of getting Lyme disease is affected by the length of time a tick is attached during feeding. Even if the tick has the bacteria in it's system, if it is removed right away the odds of catching Lyme disease is lessened. According to the CDC, "In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted."  Read more from the CDC here.

 

Post by C. Fisher