Archive for the ‘Ticks’ Category

Rutgers Racing to Contain Asian Longhorned Tick

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2018/07/this_is_how_dna_helps_rutgers_scientists_crack_the.html

It spreads SFTS (sever fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome), “an emerging hemorrhagic fever,” causing fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, disease of the lymph nodes, and conjunctival congestion, but the potential impact of this tick on tickborne illness is not yet known. In other parts of the world, this Longhorned tick, also called the East Asian or bush tick, has been associated with several tickborne diseases, such as spotted fever rickettsioses, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Borrelia, the causative agent of Lyme Disease.

For a 2016 literature review on SFTS: http://infectious-diseases-and-treatment.imedpub.com/research-advances-on-epidemiology-of-severefever-with-thrombocytopenia-syndrome-asystematic-review-of-the-literature.php?aid=17986
Although the clinical symptoms of SFTS and HGA are similar to each other, but the treatment methods of the two diseases are totally different. Doctors notice that the biggest difference between the clinical symptom of SFTS and HGA is that SFTS patients generally without skin rash, the dermorrhagia is also not seriously, and few massive hemorrhage cases were reported [23]. It is also reported that SFTS patients had gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which are rarely observed in HGA patients [2]. So these differences can be used as the auxiliary basis of differential diagnosis.
At present, there is still no specific vaccine or antiviral therapy for SFTSV infection. Supportive treatment, including plasma, platelet, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF), recombinant human interleukin 11, and gamma globulin is the most essential part of case treatment [44]. Meanwhile, some measures were taken to maintain water, electrolyte balance and treat complications are also very important.
Ribavirin is reported to be effective for treating Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) infections and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, but it is still inadequate to judge the effect of ribavirin on SFTS patients because of the study limitation without adequate parameters were investigated [45]. Host immune responses play an important role in determining the severity and clinical outcome in patients with infection by SFTSV.
For Viral treatment options: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/03/28/combating-viruses/

And lastly, please know ticks parasitize one another, potentially spreading all manner of diseases to humans.  This fact also shoots holes in the regurgitated mantra that only certain ticks carry certain pathogens.  If they are feasting on one another, they can potentially infect each other and then us:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/07/tick-bites-tick-hyperparasitism/

 

 

Category:

Activism, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Viruses

Asian Tick Now in New York

https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/a-new-dangerous-tick-found-in-new-york/71-574781863

The New York state Health Department has found the Asian “long horned” (Haemaphysalis longicornis) or Bush tick in Westchester County.

Normally found in Asia, this tick clones itself and spreads rapidly.  It has been found in New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and now New York.

If seen, contact the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Animal Industry at 518-457-3502 or dai@agriculture.ny.gov.

For more on the Asian tick:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/01/asian-ticks-mysteriously-turn-up-in-new-jersey/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/21/ticks-from-hell-survived-the-winter/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/27/tick-discovery-highlights-how-few-answers-we-have-about-these-pests-in-the-u-s/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/12/first-longhorned-tick-confirmed-in-arkansas/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/26/tick-from-hell-now-sited-in-west-virginia/

So far we know it can spread SFTS (sever fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome), “an emerging hemorrhagic fever,” causing fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, disease of the lymph nodes, and conjunctival congestion, but the potential impact of this tick on tickborne illness is not yet known. In other parts of the world, this Longhorned tick, also called the East Asian or bush tick, has been associated with several tickborne diseases, such as spotted fever rickettsioses, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Borrelia, the causative agent of Lyme Disease.

So, this is no benign little sucker…..

Category:

Activism, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, Ticks, Viruses

Estimating the Cost of Lyme – Patients Please Help By Filling Out Survey

http://www.beetlepress.com/estimating-cost-lyme-disease-united-states/

Estimating the Cost of Lyme Disease in the United States

By

laurie-johnson-e1529101738447

Climate Cost Project offers new economic data on Lyme disease

AMHERST—Laurie T. Johnson, the executive director and co-founder of the Climate Cost Project, said increased rates of Lyme disease have been linked to climate change, and are one of the more serious and least understood of its costs.

Her organization, the Climate Cost Project, is a new data and documentary project that is helping to uncover, understand and visualize the costs of climate change to American communities.

“We know very little about uninsured costs people across America are experiencing from climate change impacts. Having seen friends and families devastated both personally and financially by Lyme disease, we felt it was important to start understanding the real costs of the disease to individuals,” Johnson said.

She added that because insurance covers little to none of patients’ treatment costs, experts have no idea how much the disease actually costs individuals and society. But between medical treatment and lost work time, Johnson notes they can easily add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in health care expenses and lost income.

Johnson, who holds a doctoral degree in economics, co-founded the project because, as an environmental economist and instructor at the University of Massachusetts, she understood how little data there was on the immediate costs of climate change to the American economy.

The project has created a data portal to allow individuals to report their climate costs on a range of climate issues, from flooding to tick-borne illness. Its other major mission is creating the Witnessing Change Video Competition, which invites documentarians to tell the stories of climate change from their own community in short video format.

According to the Center for Disease Control, the number of reported cases of Lyme disease—transmitted by ticks—has more than tripled in the United States since the late 1990s.

“Right now, the disease is highly regional, with 14 states in the Northeast and upper Midwest accounting for 95 percent of confirmed cases,” Johnson said, noting the disease is starting to spread rapidly, with ticks carrying Lyme disease in almost half of all counties across the country.

With few treatment options, and so few covered by insurance, patients are left on their own to find alternative treatments and pay for them, she said.

Consider Dana Carnegie’s story, for example.

Carnegie is a long-time resident of Amherst and works as the communications manager for Girl Scouts of Central & Western Massachusetts.

She contracted Lyme disease in 2006. A standard three-week course of antibiotics eliminated her classic flu-like symptoms at the time, but nine years later, new and more severe symptoms appeared, including debilitating joint pain, numbness, chronic exhaustion and memory loss.

Carnegie tested positive again for Lyme in 2015. This time her treatment took over two years, and much of it was not covered by insurance. She estimates she spent anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000, but feels lucky that she could afford it, had plenty of sick time to cover missed work, and feels fully recovered.

“Unfortunately, Dana’s story is not unique,” Johnson said, explaining that preliminary data from a new survey on Lyme disease costs from the Climate Cost Project finds over half of respondents spending at least $30,000.

Almost one-third spent over $75,000, some more than $200,000, Johnson said. But out of all this spending, only a handful reported experiencing no chronic symptoms at all over the last year. More than half also reported missing work, on average more than four years.

For context, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, average uncovered costs for some of the most expensive out-of-pocket conditions cap out at around $2,000 per year.  For an analysis of who is most vulnerable for out-of-pocket expenses, visit https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/who-is-most-at-risk-for-high-out-of-pocket-health-spending/#item-start.

“We’ve heard from patients and physicians across the country with stories like Dana’s, many significantly worse. We believe the data is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Sieren Ernst, CEO and co-founder of the Climate Cost Project. “Compared to other diseases, out-of-pocket spending may be orders of magnitude higher for tick-borne illness than other diseases. The more data we are able to get from the survey, the clearer the picture we will have.”

The Climate Cost Project is currently looking for people impacted by tick-borne illness and flooding to complete its surveys. You can visit their surveys at www.climatecostproject.org/cic, and learn more about the tick-borne illness survey at https://www.climatecostproject.org/about-tick-borne-illness-survey.

________________

**Comment**

According to Canadian, independent tick researcher John Scott, who also happens to struggle with Lyme, the pandemic we are seeing with Lyme/MSIDS has nothing to do with climate change:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/14/canadian-tick-expert-climate-change-is-not-behind-lyme-disease/

He even goes as far to say it’s a red-herring to divert us from the fact nothing has been done to help patients for over 30 years.  A cover-up scheme dating back to the 80’s, it has nothing to do with tick movement as ticks are ecoadaptive and can tolerate wide temperature fluctuations. 

A quick test is to ask yourself what more climate change research will actually accomplish for patients.

Answer…..NADA.

I do hope that this study puts a dollar figure to the cost for patients.  That would be helpful intel and would demonstrate, clearly, just how devastating this pandemic truly is.

For a great video on ticks in winter: 

Ticks left overnight in 3 degrees sprang back to life once they warmed in Tom Mather’s hand…..

Then we have ticks on HOT beaches:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/07/ticks-on-beaches/

and caves:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/27/israeli-kids-get-lyme-disease-from-ticks-in-caves/

Do you REALLY believe climate change has anything to do with this plague?

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Ticks

Ticks That Carry Lyme Disease Are Spreading Fast

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ticks-that-carry-lyme-disease-are-spreading-fast/

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay July 13, 2018, 5:25 PM

Ticks that carry Lyme disease are spreading fast

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/behind-the-surge-in-diseases-spread-by-mosquitoes-ticks-fleas/“>https://www.cbsnews.com/video/behind-the-surge-in-diseases-spread-by-mosquitoes-ticks-fleas/  (News story here)

Think you live in a place that’s free from disease-carrying ticks? Don’t be so sure.

Citizen scientists found ticks capable of transmitting Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses in dozens of places across the United States where the pests had never previously been recorded, a new study reports.

All told, disease-carrying ticks were detected in 83 counties where they’d never been found before across 24 states.

The numbers reflect a rise in tick populations across the country, said study author Nate Nieto. He’s an associate professor with Northern Arizona University’s department of biological sciences.

“People should be aware of ticks and tick-borne disease, even when they may think there’s not a recorded incidence of a tick in a county,” Nieto said. “These things, they’re not obeying borders. They’re going by biology. If they get moved there by a deer or bird or people or pets, they’re going to establish themselves and start growing.”

The massive nationwide study also provides evidence that ticks are born carrying infectious diseases, rather than picking germs up from the animals upon which they feed, said Wendy Adams, research grant director for the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, in California.

All life stages of the most commonly encountered ticks — the deer tick, the western black-legged tick and the lone star tick — carried the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, Adams said.

“That’s important, because that would say that a tick doesn’t need to acquire an infection from a blood meal. It’s born with the infection,” Adams explained.

These findings are the result of an unexpectedly successful effort by the Bay Area Lyme Foundation to collect tick samples from across the country.

Between January 2016 and August 2017, the foundation and Northern Arizona University offered free tick identification and testing to the general public. People were encouraged to send in ticks they found on themselves, their pets or around their communities.

The scientists’ original goal was to collect about 2,000 ticks. They wound up with more than 16,000, sent in by people from every state except Alaska.

“We got such a phenomenal participation,” Nieto said. “Two weeks in May, we got almost 2,000 packages per week. That is just powerful data.”

People found ticks in areas not represented in tracking maps maintained by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the researchers discovered.

Most of these new areas were right next to counties with known tick populations, Adams said.

“Ticks are spreading. Tick populations have exploded,” Adams said. “This is good data to show the extent of that. It’s a message to people that even if you think ticks aren’t a problem, they could be.”

The 24 states that contain counties with newly documented populations of deer ticks or Western black-legged ticks are Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Further, ticks were found in states where they simply weren’t supposed to be, Adams said. Lone star ticks were found in California and black-legged ticks were found in Nevada, both for the first time ever.

People also found ticks carrying Babesia — microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells and cause the potentially life-threatening disease babesiosis — in 26 counties across 10 states in which the public health department does not require physicians to report cases of the disease.

The new study “highlights the geographic variability of ticks and the pathogens they carry,” said Dr. Paul Auwaerter, clinical director of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.

“Surveillance is increasingly important as we see climate and environmental changes, because we do see expanding ranges of ticks. We’ve seen that with Lyme disease. We’ve seen that with babesiosis,” said Auwaerter, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Adams agreed, suggesting that more funding should be directed to these sorts of crowd-sourced tracking efforts.

“We have to invest federal dollars to examine the spread of ticks,” she said.

In the meantime, the Bay Area Lyme Foundation suggests that people protect themselves from ticks by:

  • Wearing light-colored clothes to make ticks more visible.
  • Do regular tick checks after being in a tick-infested area, and shower immediately after to wash away ticks that might be crawling on you.
  • Consider using tick repellents like DEET for skin and permethrin for clothing.
  • Talk with your doctor if you develop any symptoms following a tick bite.

The new study was published online July 12 in the journal PLOS One.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/lyme-disease-in-dogs-what-you-need-to-know/“>https://www.cbsnews.com/video/lyme-disease-in-dogs-what-you-need-to-know/ (News story here on Lyme Disease in Dogs)

________________

**Comment**

There has NEVER been a minimum time established for ticks to transmit the Lyme bacterium (or any other pathogen for that matter), so to exclaim with certainty that if the tick drops off the dog before 24 hours they will not get infected is pure conjecture. 

For more on that issue:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/04/14/transmission-time-for-lymemsids-infection/

Research on transmission times as well as transmission modes are desperately needed.

This article points out that ticks don’t require a blood meal that they can be BORN infected.  This is important information to disseminate as many still believe a blood meal is required for them to become infected.

 A telling quote:  “These things are not obeying borders.”

Nope.  And they never have.  This tick border thing is a man-made constructed paradigm that has never been accurate, but it’s fit the CDC/NIH/IDSA narrative.  http://steveclarknd.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/The-Confounding-Debate-Over-Lyme-Disease-in-the-South-DiscoverMagazine.com_.pdf (go to page 6 and read about Speilman’s maps which are faulty but have ruled like the Iron Curtain, and have been used to keep folks from being diagnosed and treated)

Time to pull the blinders off and look at this thing as the PANDEMIC it truly is.

Recently, Wisconsin had it’s first death from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, transmitted by the Lone Star Tick that isn’t supposed to be in Wisconsin at all:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/10/first-rmsf-death-in-wisconsin/

The climate-change issue is another man-made paradigm regarding ticks who will be the last species on the planet besides the IRS:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/14/canadian-tick-expert-climate-change-is-not-behind-lyme-disease/

We don’t need any more climate studies regarding ticks.  What we need to know is how this thing is transmitted (sexual, congenital, via breastmilk as well as other bugs, etc), testing that picks up all the pathogens, how long it takes for transmission, how to control ticks, what effectively kills the pathogens, and how to get our treatments paid for by insurance).

So thankful they brought up Babesia; however, there are 18 and counting pathogens spread by ticks and we need mandatory reporting for ALL of them as well as proper and effective treatments paid for by insurance:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/01/one-tick-bite-could-put-you-at-risk-for-at-least-6-different-diseases/

Great work Bay Area Lyme Foundation!

Category:

Activism, Babesia, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission

This Family Learned Tick Bites Can Transmit More Than Lyme Disease

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/family-learned-tick-bites-transmit-more-than-lyme-disease#7

This Family Learned Tick Bites Can Transmit More Than Lyme Disease

Written by Cathy Cassata on June 12, 2018

Screenshot_2018-07-16 Tick Bites More Than Lyme Disease
How one mother’s persistence and perseverance helped doctors properly treat her son’s complicated Lyme disease diagnosis.

Last summer, 11-year-old Gus was beyond excited to attend his first Boy Scout campout without his parents.

“Me and my husband believed he’d be fine on the trip because he’s super independent, but I remember telling my husband I was worried about ticks because how often does an 11-year-old reapply spray?” Gus’s mom, Lesley, explained.

Nevertheless, she and her husband let their son venture off from Illinois to upper Wisconsin for a week away over the Fourth of July holiday.

When Gus returned, Lesley said they did a “tick check from head to toe” but found nothing and figured he was “in the clear.”

However, near the end of July, Gus came down with a high fever and a migraine that wouldn’t go away. After checking in with his pediatrician, Lesley chalked it up to a virus. But when his headache persisted after a week and a half, they went back to the doctor, who suggested giving it another day before sending Gus for an MRI to rule out a tumor.

To Lesley’s relief, her son’s headache was gone the next day. Since the family was heading to Michigan for vacation, Gus’s pediatrician suggested he get the MRI when they return. Yet, as soon as the family arrived in Michigan, things took a turn for the worse.

“I looked across the table at Gus and I noticed he tried to take a drink and he couldn’t get his mouth to work. It was hanging low. He said one side of his face felt weird,” Lesley said.

She rushed him to the nearest emergency room. By the time they arrived, Gus couldn’t blink or close his left eye. His condition was diagnosed as Bell’s palsy.

Over the course of the week, he continued to deteriorate.

“By the time we got home from Michigan, he almost couldn’t walk. His hips, knees, ankles, and lower back were in so much pain that he said it felt like someone had a vice on all his joints,” Lesley said.

On their first night back home, Gus couldn’t sleep and woke his mom, so she took him downstairs to watch TV.

That’s when Lesley noticed her son’s legs, chest, and back were covered with a bull’s-eye rash — a common symptom of Lyme disease that can occur from 3 to 30 days after an infected tick bite and usually doesn’t itch or cause pain.

In the morning, Lesley took Gus back to his doctor. By the time they arrived, the rash was gone. Thankfully, Lesley thought to take pictures of the rash the night before and the images prompted Gus’s pediatrician to test him for Lyme disease right away.

Complex journey to diagnosis and treatment

Gus’s pediatrician gave him two tests: the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, which is commonly used to detect Lyme disease, and the Western blot test, which is often given to confirm Lyme if the ELISA test is positive.

A few days later, Gus received a diagnosis of Lyme disease. Lesley said the family was happy to finally have identified the problem, and she believed her son would soon be on the road to recovery.

Gus’s pediatrician collaborated with a children’s hospital in Chicago to determine he needed 30 days of doxycycline, an antibiotic commonly prescribed to treat Lyme.

“He started feeling better immediately but did have some lingering pain in his hip and he wasn’t totally himself. He tossed and turned all night long and his energy was pretty low,” Lesley said. “I told myself these were all happening because he was growing. I just wanted to [believe] we beat the Lyme.”

However, when Gus’s symptoms persisted after he finished the antibiotics, Lesley started to advocate and research for her son. A friend who had been given a Lyme diagnosis referred her to a Lyme Literate doctor (LLMD) who specializes in the disease.

“From that point on, I got hungry for knowledge. I trusted our doctors but wanted to make sure we were doing the best we could for Gus,” said Lesley.

She learned that the Lyme bacteria replicates in the body every 14 days, which is why many doctors prescribe 30 days of antibiotics. However, she also learned that for some people that’s not enough.

Dr. Daniel Cameron, an expert in Lyme disease, says that many people with Lyme only need 30 days of antibiotics, but 1 out of 3 people treated early for the disease will still have complications.

“I’m most concerned about that one out of three who remains ill,” Cameron told Healthline. “For some, it can last up to 10 years and when you’re at school, it can mess up your ability to concentrate in the classroom or participate in sports or have a life with friends.”

Those were the fears Lesley had for Gus. Since he became ill over summer break, he didn’t miss school, but as an active child, he missed out on sports and hanging out with his friends.

“Sports are his life, but he lost 12 pounds and we had to cancel sports camps last summer. He [started wondering if] he’d ever [get to] play again,” Lesley said. “I’d constantly remind him that’d I’d do everything I could to keep it from stopping him.”

Approximately one month after Gus finished his 30-day supply of antibiotics, he was still struggling with symptoms and Lesley took him to see the LLMD. Because ticks that carry Lyme can also carry other infectious organisms through the same bite, the doctor tested Gus for coinfections. Turns out, Gus was positive for two types of Bartonella bacteria.

“I had never heard of coinfections and learned so much from this doctor,” Lesley said. “She confirmed that 30 days of antibiotics wasn’t enough for Gus. She was optimistic that we caught it early, but she made it clear that everyone’s body fights it differently.”

It’s because of this difference that Cameron says screening for coinfections is so important. “Many patients aren’t aware that coinfections exist. Many doctors are and will order tests for them, but often the tests aren’t reliable. That’s why carefully monitoring patients over time is important.”

Gus’s doctor began a regimen of three antibiotics, as well as probiotics, herbs, and supplements last November.

Advocating to calm controversy

Today, Gus is still taking antibiotics but Lesley said his health has greatly improved and he should be done soon.

“He just competed in track on the state level which is amazing. As I watched him run, I looked like a racoon because I was blubbering,” she said. “He’s overcome a lot since July. As a parent, those first few months were the darkest days. We didn’t know what he had and then we didn’t know if he’d be alright.”

Screenshot_2018-07-16 Tick Bites More Than Lyme Disease(1)
Over the past year, Lesley says she’s grown a lot as well and hopes sharing her family’s struggle will help others who find themselves in the same situation.

“Not much is known about this disease, so as a parent you have to keep asking questions and finding information and advocating for your child,” she said, noting the frustrations they encountered while trying to treat Gus.

Part of the frustrations Lesley felt were due to a divide within the medical community.

“Some doctors don’t believe that children have chronic issues from Lyme, no matter what the published literature says,” Cameron explained. “Some physicians disagree on what to call [complications]. I use the term chronic Lyme disease, whether there’s a coinfection or not. Some people use other terms.”

Cameron also points out that while early leaders in Lyme disease were thorough in their understanding and managing early Lyme, they lacked knowledge of the chronic complications that can accompany the disease.

“Today, the published literature is very descriptive on all the problems that happen. It’s just that doctors are divided and it’s not clear why there’s disagreement on something that’s so common,” he said.

He added that the understanding of what infections ticks carry is another barrier.

“There are so many strains of Lyme and other infections in a tick. Some infections like Babesia can’t be treated with doxycycline and need to be treated with a parasite medicine. So much of the complexity and difficulty is knowing what’s in the tick without even looking at the child that was bit,” he explained.

Another complication of Lyme disease treatment is the worry many in the medical community have surrounding antibiotic overuse. Doctors can lose their license for overprescribing antibiotics and it’s a fear that can contribute to less-effective treatment for patients.

“We understand that we’re trying to cut back on antibiotic use, but if you have a child that’s sick, and with so many complexities of infection in a tick and plenty of published literature that supports how complicated this disease is, you’d like to have the freedom as a doctor to treat your patients and not be limited,” Cameron said. “If doctors who treat Lyme had more freedom, we wouldn’t have so much frustration in the medical community.”

Lesley is doing her part to help change this.

“I know this is a big issue and that I’m just one mom. But my kid’s in a good place, and I felt a calling to spread the word about this disease. I’m ready to say I knew nothing about Lyme. It’s not something I wanted to know about but if sharing Gus’s story can help even one other person, it’s worth it,” she said.

Most of all, she hopes other parents learn that they can seek out doctors who specialize in Lyme disease.

“It can be an isolating disease if your child isn’t getting the treatment they need and if your doctors don’t know enough about it,” Lesley said.

While Cameron says that a pediatrician can effectively treat many children with Lyme, he points out that for the one out of three kids who are still ill after initial treatment, it’s a good idea to see a doctor who is familiar with complications of the disease.

Additional defense

What else can parents do to protect their children?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a list of preventive measures to avoid a tick bite but nothing is foolproof.

Cameron says the most important thing is to perform a tick check after your child is outdoors, and to remove a tick as soon as you see one.

“Kids still get bit and get the infection even with these recommendations,” Cameron said.

He notes Lesley did the smartest thing she could for Gus: become familiar with Lyme disease.

He encourages other parents whose children get a Lyme disease diagnosis to do the same.

“Learn everything you can] so if your child doesn’t do well, you know about other complications and symptoms of Lyme to look out for so you can be the advocate for your child.”

**Comment**
Fantastic article.  So thankful for those doctors who are concerned about the one in three that remain ill. 
Please note the treatment Gus received was 3 different antibiotics, supplements, probiotics, and herbs.  This is quite common – but most general pracitioners are clueless and continue to give the extremely limited monotherapy of doxycycline, which is often sufficient for an acute case but will not cure a person with coinfections or even often Lyme (borrelia) that has gotten into the central nervous system, which can happen quickly.
If you suspect Lyme/MSIDS and have only been treated with doxy, but have remaining symptoms, learn from Gus’s case and get to a Lyme literate doctor (LLMD).  The best place to start is with your state’s local Lyme support group as they are the most familiar with locally trained doctors and can save you a lot of time, money, and heartache.

 

Category:

Activism, Bartonella, Lyme, Testing, Ticks, Treatment