What is Lyme disease?What Is 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 ? In 1975, in Lyme, Connecticut Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,016 at the 2000 census. Lyme and its neighboring town Old Lyme are the namesake for Lyme disease. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 89. , a group of children were diagnosed as having arthritis. Then it was learned that all the children had experienced a skin rash before the arthritis symptoms appeared. Subsequent investigation determined that their condition was caused by the bite of a 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. . Since then, more than 5,000 cases have been reported, mostly in the northeastern United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. but also in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The disease, named after the town where it was first identified, is now the most common tick-transmitted disease. This is partly because of an increase in deer population and partly because of the spread of human population into areas close to deer habitat. Most incidents are reported in New England New England, name applied to the region comprising six states of the NE United States—Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The region is thought to have been so named by Capt. and the Mid-Atlantic States. About 50 percent of those infected by Lyme disease do not experience the first stage of symptoms, the skin rash. Stage 2 includes inflammation of the brain and other neurological complications, and cardiac abnormalities. Stage 3, which also affects half the patients, is manifest by arthritis in the large joints--knees, shoulders, elbows, ankles, and wrists. Summer is the time when most deer tick infection occurs. Prevention includes wearing protective clothing when entering infested in·fest tr.v. in·fest·ed, in·fest·ing, in·fests 1. To inhabit or overrun in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful, threatening, or obnoxious: areas, and inspecting yourself carefully when you get back home. And don't forget to check your pets if they have been in the woods or tall grass. Deer ticks are very small, about half the size of dog ticks. |
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