Disease-bearing ticks taking aim at local communities

[unhappycamper]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=post&forum=1057



A female deer tick seen under a University of Rhode Island microscope in the entomoloy lab in South Kingstown, R.I.

Disease-bearing ticks taking aim at local communities
By Alice Elwell
Enterprise Correspondent
Posted Jul. 6, 2015 at 2:54 PM
Updated at 3:53 AM

The growing deer population south of Boston has placed Plymouth, Norfolk and Bristol county towns among the highest in the state for cases of Lyme disease.

Disease-ridden ticks have infested the seaside towns of Marshfield, Hingham, Scituate, Plymouth and Duxbury, as well as the inland communities of Middleboro, Brockton and Taunton, according to the number of cases of Lyme disease reported to the Department of Public Health.

The spike of infected ticks in the state has caused state health officials to declare Lyme disease an epidemic.

“There is at least some risk everywhere in the commonwealth,” said Dr. Catherine Brown, state public health veterinarian.

[rogerashton]

1. Yesterday I got a blood test for lyme.

The drill is: get a blood test as soon as possible after the bite, as a baseline, and then another in 4 weeks. It takes lyme a while to develop, so if there is a significant difference between the two, you do a round of antibiotics. Hint: the antibiotics kill off your intestinal flora, so it is a good idea to stay away from raw oysters and such for a few weeks or months after the antibiotics. Ask me how I know all this so well.