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There were 11,900 confirmed and probable cases in the state in 2017, according to government data. The growing health problem has prompted officials to launch initiatives to address it.
Anne Desjardins was bitten by a tick, but she does not know when.
She noticed ticks in the garden of her Wyomissing home, but she never imagined the mark she would leave in her life.
She began to suffer fatigue in 2010. Not the fatigue of lack of sleep, but "an incredibly horrible fatigue," she recalls. This was followed by hives, dizziness while driving and hearing loss in the left ear.
There was a funny sensation in the left side of his face. She had trouble talking and remembering things. At first, the doctors did not find any physical affection. It was stress or depression, they said.
"What happened was not logical," said Desjardins.
It was only in 2017 that a blood test revealed the mystery: Desjardins was suffering from Lyme disease, a disease caused by a bacterium transmitted by a tick bite. blackleg, commonly known as deer tick.
A new tick found in Pennsylvania attracts a lot of attention
She is not the only one fighting against her illness.
Pennsylvania is leading the number of confirmed and probable cases of Lyme disease: 11,900 in 2017, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is a growing health problem that has prompted state authorities and local authorities to launch initiatives to address it.
Pennsylvania has launched a five-year tick survey in 67 counties, which will help determine the threat posed by infected ticks. Since the start of the investigation last July, the Department of Environmental Protection has captured more than 3,600 adult ticks and sent them to a laboratory in the department where their DNA will be studied, according to Elizabeth Rementer. , spokesperson of the DEP.
"We do not know the frequency in each county," said Nate Wardle, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, who is funding the investigation. "It will help us communicate with people about how to protect themselves."
At the same time, the House of Representatives approved last Wednesday a bill that would require health insurers to cover the long-term antibiotic treatment of Lyme disease if a doctor prescribes a patient. Insurers are currently paying for antibiotic treatment for two to four weeks. A similar bill awaits action in the Senate.
Drag for ticks
As part of its tick investigation, Berks County began "ticking" by dragging a fabric of felt on grassy and other parks to catch ticks – this past summer at Blue Marsh Lake, at the French Creek State Park and in other areas, said Evan Corondi, a coordinator of the Berks County Conservation District's outreach activities.
Dredging will resume in May, when pupal deer ticks will generally go "in quests" – perched on a strand of grass or plant with taut front legs, waiting to hang on to a passing host, such as a hiker or a deer, said Corondi. Young ticks are usually about the size of a poppy seed.
According to the DEP, Berks is one of 38 counties specifically counting deer ticks, which are causing the most tick-borne disease in Pennsylvania. There are other types of ticks in the state, some of which carry other diseases, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
"These ticks have the potential to carry a multitude of diseases," said Corondi.
The five-year survey is funded by an additional $ 2.5 million from the Ministry of Health's 2018-2019 budget to fund initiatives recommended by a Lyme disease task force.
In Chester County, which has the largest number of confirmed and probable cases – more than 10,600, according to TickCheck.com, the tick testing laboratory located in East Stroudsburg, the authorities have placed plastic tick traps, called tick control stations, in every county park.
Stations use corn to attract deer to traps. The deer must pass his head between two paint rolls, covered with a chemical antitic, to eat corn. The stations, which cost about $ 500 each, were effective in catching the ticks, said Chris Wales, a ranger in Warwick County Park, where there is a station near the entrance.
Hunters who caught deer at Chester confirmed that "there are a lot fewer ticks on them," Wales said.
Lyme's Bill in Harrisburg
Pennsylvania has been leading the number of Lyme disease cases for seven years, one of the reasons why state representative Kathy Rapp, Warren County Republican, has sponsored the bill asking insurers to pay a fee. prolonged treatment with antibiotics to patients.
His bill was approved by the House by 154 votes to 38 on Wednesday. It faces the opposition of the Senate: the Senate rejected a similar bill in the last session, although "I really hope that the bill will be passed in the Senate this session," said Rapp.
"I imagine that every legislator has voters who have been diagnosed with Lyme disease and who suffer from it, it's so prevalent in Pennsylvania," she said.
According to Rapp, about 60% of patients with Lyme disease have been treated with antibiotics longer than the two to four week treatment covered by insurance.
Some insurers have argued that a long-term antibiotic treatment might not be effective. The bill would prevent them from denying coverage by labeling the treatment as "unproven, experimental or experimental".
The bill says that treatment options may change for patients because the medical understanding of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases "is changing rapidly over the next decade."
The disease can be "invisible"
Desjardins, a 40-year-old paper merchant, posted a series of videos on her Facebook page to inform and encourage other Lyme disease victims. She thinks that antibiotics, nutritional supplements, a healthier diet and yoga help her to recover, but she remembers how much she had felt alone in the face of the disease.
The symptoms of Lyme disease – fatigue, fever, muscle and joint pain – are not uncommon. Desjardins did not have a rash in the form of bull's eye, a usual sign of a tick bite. Correct diagnosis can be difficult to achieve – 20 to 30% of patients have a false negative test for the Lyme test, perhaps because the antibodies have not had time to develop , according to LymeDisease.org, an advocate for Lyme patients in California.
At first, "I was told that there was nothing wrong with me," Dejardins said. "It's invisible.People can not see what's going on inside you.I was ashamed.I thought about killing myself many times because I did not want to more to face it. "
For Desjardins, doctor visits, antibiotics, supplements and other costs were paid.
"I promise you that I would have sold my soul to feel better again," she says.
Protect yourself from ticks
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of tick-borne diseases doubled in the United States between 2004 and 2016. In 2017, a record number of 59,349 cases were reported, and this number probably reflects only 39, a fraction of the real number. Some tips for prevention:
- Check your clothes, your body and your pets back from the yard, woods or other infested areas.
- Place clothes in a dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes to remove ticks on dry clothes after getting inside.
- Shower within two hours of arriving indoors to wash loose ticks.
- Treat clothing and equipment with products containing 0.5% permethrin.
- Use insect repellents registered as effective by the Environmental Protection Agency, such as DEET, picaridine, IR3535, lemon eucalyptus oil (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD) ) or 2-undecanone.
How to remove a tick
Use fine point forceps to catch the tick as close as possible to the surface of your skin. Never smash a tick with your fingers.
Pull up with constant and even pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tick.
Clean the area of the bite and your hands thoroughly with rubbing alcohol or soapy water.
Eliminate a live tick by putting it in alcohol, in a sealed bag or container, wrap it well in tape or throw it in the toilet.
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