By LYMETV
For more on tick prevention: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/12/tick-prevention-2019/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/03/fire-good-news-for-tick-reduction/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/15/talking-tick-prevention-ask-a-uw-veterinarian/
MADISON – It’s officially summer, and lawmakers are aiming to curb the growing problem of Lyme disease in the state through education and prevention efforts.
A bipartisan package of five bills would direct the state Department of Natural Resources to post signs about the tick-borne disease in public parks, sell bug spray with the powerful DEET repellent and conduct an awareness campaign each May.
The legislation would also create an epidemiologist position in the Department of Health Services focused on the disease and establish a 16-member study committee tasked with recommending to the Legislature policy changes regarding awareness, prevention and treatment of Lyme disease.
Democratic Sen. Mark Miller of Monona, one of the sponsors of the bills, said raising awareness about Lyme disease is important not only for the public, but also for health care professionals. He said the disease often goes misdiagnosed.
“Increasing awareness … will reduce the chances of people getting Lyme disease or other tick-borne illnesses and increase the chances that, if you do get it, it’ll be diagnosed properly and the treatment handed to you quickly,” Miller said.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Wisconsin had the fourth highest number of reported cases of Lyme disease in the country in 2017. DHS data shows the number of cases of Lyme disease has increased over the past 30 years and estimated Wisconsin had 3,105 cases in 2018.
Lyme disease is contracted through a bite from an infected deer tick. If left untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system, according to the CDC. Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and a skin rash, typically in a bull’s-eye pattern.
DHS spokeswoman Jennifer Miller said permanent damage from Lyme disease is “quite rare.” But she added that long-term damage to the nervous system is possible in patients who were not treated until the later stages of the disease.
Green Bay Republican Sen. Robert Cowles, who is also sponsoring the legislation, said he has friends who have suffered from the effects of Lyme disease. He predicted that, once the bills have a public hearing, many people will come forward in support of the legislation.
“These five bills we hope will promote this issue enough so people will have a good handle on this as time goes by,” Cowles said. “It is something the Legislature has to pay attention to.”
RELATED: The Tick App offers resources to identify, remove ticks as part of Lyme disease study
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**Comment**
Permanent damage from Lyme is NOT RARE. It can kill you.
For a refresher on the actual bills: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/05/29/lawmakers-create-bills-to-bite-back-against-lyme-disease-wisconsin/
The bill of particular concern is bill #5 in that it:
“Establishes a sixteen-member Tick-Borne Disease Study Committee to create a report for the legislature on consensus-based recommendations for policy changes on awareness, prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, reporting, and treatment of Lyme Disease.”
Nothing about Lyme/MSIDS is agreed upon except the fact early detection and treatment is imperative. If this 16 member committee is only filled with CDC/IDSA believers, patients and the doctors who dare to treat them are doomed as it will be business as usual or perhaps will make things even worse as they could further restrict a doctor’s ability to treat this.
Chronically infected patients need representation by qualified ILADS trained practitioners who understand the complexity of diagnosis, testing, and treatment.
If you’ve been keeping up, you are privy to the fact the TBDWG is being stacked against patients at the federal level with IDSA-types and hardly any patients & advocates. I do believe this was their plan from the get-go.
Another fact is that legislation often takes 5-10 years to pan out. Many patients aren’t healthy enough for that type of stress. Getting involved with politics is like running a marathon. You can’t quit half way through. Wording that can completely change the outcome can change at the eleventh hour requiring savvy and bullish persistence.
As well-meaning as patients are, they are often very, very sick as well as uneducated about the underhanded way this has all been handled from inception. They also often don’t understand the polarity in the medical community and how legislation they create & agree to could hurt the very doctors who are properly treating Lyme/MSIDS patients.
As hard as it is – think like the enemy.
https://globallymealliance.org/education-awareness/curriculum-educational-activities/
It’s Time to Be Lyme Alert is a fun, interactive curriculum designed by GLA in partnership with educators to be shared in the classroom, at camp and other youth-focused organizations. The curriculum, available in three age-group levels, includes a student workbook that outlines the objectives and key talking points, along with a supporting teachers’ guide.
Ideal activities for use in classrooms – Grades: K – 12:
*Disclaimer: Be Tick AWARE Prevention Kits are intended to provide tick bite protection practices. Global Lyme Alliance does not guarantee tick bite protection or tick-borne disease prevention when implementing this information. GLA recommends doing a daily full-body tick check.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25416331/
The protective effectiveness of factory-based permethrin-impregnated polymer-coated battle dress uniforms (PTBDUs) against tick bites was evaluated at four military training areas in southwestern and central Germany where tick bite incidence is known to be high. Data were analyzed by comparing tick bite incidence using non-permethrin-treated BDUs (NTBDUs) during 2009 versus PTBDUs during 2010 and 2011, the first two years after their formal introduction for in-country use in the German Bundeswehr. During 2009, 262 individual tick bites were reported at the four training sites, resulting in a tick bite incidence of 8.8 % per exposed person when wearing NTBDUs only. In 2010 and 2011, one tick bite case occurred under field conditions each year that PTBDUs were worn, corresponding to a protective effectiveness of 99.6 and 98.6 %. These data imply an annual tick bite incidence of 0.035 and 0.078 % per exposed person, respectively. Between 2010 and 2011, a 0.8 % decline in the protective effectiveness of PTBDUs was observed. Five tick bite incidents occurred while wearing non-impregnated parkas over correctly worn PTBDUs. Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected by standard tick drags from 2009 to 2011, with high mean annual densities ranging from 28.9 to 106.5 ticks per 100 m(2), while single drags revealed tick densities between zero and 381 ticks per 100 m(2).
Overall, 4596 I. ricinus ticks (54 ♂, 82 ♀, 1776 nymphs, and 2684 larvae) were collected, of which 128 (2.8 %; mean annual range, 0-10.1 %) were Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. positive. The Borrelia genospecies distribution was as follows: 112 (87.5 %) Borrelia afzelii, 10 (7.8 %) B. burgdorferi s.s., and 6 (4.7 %) Borrelia garinii. Neither the tick density means from 2009 to 2011 nor associated B. burgdorferi s.l. prevalences differed significantly among the military locations investigated.
The documented tick bite reductions clearly demonstrate the powerful protective effectiveness of properly worn PTBDUs against tick bites. Nevertheless, all apparel worn over PTBDUs should also be impregnated with permethrin in order to prevent tick infestation and subsequent bites.
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https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/12/tick-prevention-2019/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/03/fire-good-news-for-tick-reduction/
https://www.galaxydx.com/tick-bite-prevention/
People who have experienced symptoms related to tick-borne disease generally say they wouldn’t wish these illnesses on anyone. Despite the educational information tick-borne disease patients repeatedly provide in the media and to their friends, many people do not act to prevent tick bites when participating in activities that may put them at risk.
The Tick-Borne Disease Working Group report released earlier this year (we reported on it here) stated that health care providers and the public do not understand the risks of tick-borne disease. Even when they do, information about prevention may not be easily accessible. Recreational parks and trails in Lyme-endemic areas of the United States, like New York state, are more likely to have signs that warn visitors about the dangers of tick exposure. However, tick-borne disease is reported around the country and these warnings are often missing in areas where it is not as prevalent.
Currently only four products are approved as tick repellents in the US. Two of these are categorized as “natural.” Other products that have shown promise in the laboratory are not making progress to market as quickly as they could. Fortunately, there is more that can be done to prevent tick bites.
Prevention starts with wearing clothing that covers the skin. Tuck pants into socks and wear light colors so ticks can easily be seen. When spending time in an environment where ticks may be present, do a whole-body check for ticks at least once every 24 hours. Ticks vary in size depending on their life stage and species, but deer tick nymphs can be as small as a fleck of black pepper. Therefore, it is essential to pay close attention to spots that may appear as new freckles or moles.
Bryon Backenson, New York’s deputy director of communicable disease control, relies on these steps for himself and his team. More than 300 times per year they enter tick-infested environments to collect ticks for surveillance. They cannot wear repellents since they’re actually trying to collect ticks. So far, no one on his team has contracted a tick-borne disease.
The two chemical tick repellents that are approved for human use in the US are Permethrin and DEET.
Permethrin has been developed to be similar to an extract from the chrysanthemum flower. Because of the variety of vector-borne diseases that it can help prevent, it is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines.
While it is neurotoxic to arachnids, insects and cats, humans and dogs break it down quickly. Furthermore, less than 1% is absorbed through the skin in humans. Women who have had whole-body exposure to permethrin for scabies treatment during pregnancy have had good outcomes. However, permethrin can cause tumors in rats when eaten. It can also cause skin irritation, which is why it is generally used on clothing. It can sicken cats who get a secondary exposure from dogs or humans that have used the product.
When using topical preventatives containing permethrin on dogs, it is important to follow the usage directions on the label. Most preventatives require dogs to not be bathed within 24-48 hours of application because the natural oils the skin produces must be present for maximum efficacy. Preventing ticks on dogs helps keeps them out of homes and away from people.
An advantage of permethrin is that it can remain effective for more than 21 days after application to clothing. In addition, it does not seem to be toxic to young children. (Always check with your health care provider.)
DEET (tiethyltoluamide) is often used when the skin needs protection. A common commercial product contains 25% DEET and is effective for about four hours. DEET should not be used on infants under two months old, and DEET concentration and frequency of use should be limited on children under 12 years old. Too frequent and too heavy applications of DEET can cause poisoning even in adults, though most adults use DEET without problems. The US EPA has documented four deaths related to DEET. DEET can cause damage to some clothing.
So why do people still use DEET? Exposure to ticks in high-risk areas may make DEET risks lower than the risk of disease. For example, 5% of Appalachian Trail through-hikers contract Lyme disease.
There are also two “natural” tick repellents registered with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and one in the review process. These repellents should not be used on children under three years old. An overview of these repellents:
Other products show promise as tick repellents, but none have been approved as marketed products in the US. For example, tea tree oil has been found to be effective in repelling ticks from cattle in a peer-reviewed published study, but it has not been studied and approved for human use in the US.
The biggest message in prevention is that tick bites are not inevitable. Tick-bite prevention works if done properly. The biggest barrier to prevention is awareness of the risk of tick-borne disease. If people do not understand the risk of tick-borne diseases, proper clothing seems like too much trouble, and thinking about the safety of tick repellents seems pointless.
This summer, let your friends and relatives know that even if they do not want to use tick repellents, they can use protective clothing. Repellents, in balance with the risk of tick-borne disease, should also be considered. With public education it is possible to reduce the number of people infected with tick-borne diseases.
Galaxy Diagnostics. (2019). TBDWG recommendations for improved prevention of tick-borne disease transmission [Blog post]. Retrieved from: https://www.galaxydx.com/tbdwg-recommendations-for-improved-prevention-of-tick-borne-disease-transmission/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Natural tick repellents and pesticides. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/natural-repellents.html
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. (2010). Registration of a major change in labeling for 2-Undecanone as contained in Bite Blocker BioUD insect repellent and clothing treatment (EPA Reg. No. 82669-2) (Active Ingredient Code 044102) [Official letter signed by Maureen Serafini, Director, Bureau of Pesticides Management]. Retrieved from: http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/insect-mite/propetamphos-zetacyperm/undecanone/biteblk_mcl_0810.pdf
Parks & Trails New York. (2018). Tick control in our parks. Retrieved from: https://www.ptny.org/newsandmedia/e-news-1/2018/06/tick-control-state-parks
Coin, G. (2019). Upstate NY Lyme disease expert: Prevention really works. Do it. NYup.com. Retrieved from: https://www.newyorkupstate.com/news/2019/05/upstate-ny-lyme-disease-expert-prevention-really-works-do-it.html
Toynton, K. et al. (2009). Permethrin general fact sheet. Corvallis, OR: National Pesticide Information Center. Retrieved from: http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/PermGen.html
Brink, S. (2018). A guide to mosquito repellents, from DEET to … gin and tonic? NPR.org. Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/30/623865454/a-guide-to-mosquito-repellents-from-deet-to-gin-and-tonic?utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews&utm_source=facebook.com
Olivier, J. (2017). The risk of Lyme disease on the Appalachian Trail is going to be high this year. OutsideOnline.com. Retrieved from: https://www.outsideonline.com/2168406/whats-risk-lyme-disease-appalachian-trail
Yim, W. T. et al. (2016). Repellent effects of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil against cattle tick larvae (Rhipicephalus australis) when formulated as emulsions and in β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes. Veterinary Parasitology, 225, 99-103. doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.06007. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27369582
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**Comment**
Great article, and there are preventative products in the pipeline. Prevention is really a 3-pronged effort: you, your pets, and your yard. For more: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/12/tick-prevention-2019/
As to the map of the black-legged tick, please remember, it’s not the only tick spreading disease and every single state has been affected by tick-borne illness. The South and places like California have fought hard to be recognized and thousands have gone undiagnosed because authorities state a certain tick or illness doesn’t exist there. For examples of this:
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/31/no-lyme-in-the-south-guess-again/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/24/no-lyme-in-oklahoma-yeah-right/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/24/lyme-in-california-what-you-need-to-know/
They are finding birds dropping ticks everywhere: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/12/bbsl-infected-ticks-in-canadian-songbirds/ Key quote:
Based on our findings, health-care providers should be aware that migratory songbirds widely disperse B. burgdorferi-infected I. scapularis in Canada’s North, and local residents do not have to visit an endemic area to contract Lyme disease.
Our findings substantiate the fact that migratory songbirds transport neotropical ticks long distances, and import them into Canada during northward spring migration. Health care practitioners need to be aware that migratory songbirds transport pathogen-laden ticks into Canada annually, and pose an unforeseen health risk to Canadians.
So neotropical ticks are ending up in Canada. Doesn’t have a thing to do with climate change. Birds are transporting ticks in places they’ve never been before and bringing their pathogens along for the ride to infect animals and humans.
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 