Ticked Off!Does the thought of contracting Lyme disease Lyme disease, a nonfatal bacterial infection that causes symptoms ranging from fever and headache to a painful swelling of the joints. The first American case of Lyme's characteristic rash was documented in 1970 and the disease was first identified in a cluster at put the brakes on your plan to hike again? Or do you think Lyme is no big deal in your part of the woods? Surprise: Lyme disease is spreading into new areas (see map, right), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. in Atlanta, Georgia. The disease, first diagnosed in 1975 in Lyme, Connecticut, is caused by Burrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which is spread by the deer tick deer tick n. Any of several ticks of the genus Ixodes that are parasitic on deer and other animals and transmit the infectious agents of febrile diseases, such as Lyme disease. in the northeastern and north-central U.S., and by the black-legged tick black-legged tick see ixodes. on the Pacific coast and in southeastern states. The good news: A new vaccine developed to prevent Lyme disease was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The bad news: The vaccine isn't available to kids under 15 years of age. The drug has yet to be tested on young children. |
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