THE VALUED VOICE

With summer right around the corner, residents will be taking advantage of the great outdoors. While the summertime in Wisconsin is one of the best times of year, there are certain diseases to be on the lookout for. Lyme disease is one of the types of diseases to be cautious about in both humans and pets. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that every year, approximately 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported. The CDC wrote in recent studies, however, that they believe the number diagnosed is closer to 476,000 cases. Lyme disease is caused by the borrelia bacteria which can be found throughout most of the United States. Lyme disease is spread through the bite of blacklegged ticks and is most common in the upper Midwest and the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. Ticks often live in grassy, wooden, or brushy areas.
 
The WHA Information Center analyzed claims for Lyme disease in Wisconsin to see how the state’s hospital data compares to national trends. As shown on the map of visits by county, there is a group of counties in northwest Wisconsin that have higher visit counts than other areas. The average age of a patient being seen in a hospital for Lyme disease is 50 years of age. The age group which sees the highest number of visits for Lyme disease is ages 61-70. When looking at gender by visit count, men have a slightly higher visit count than women. The number of visits spikes in the months of July through September (peak summer months).
 
The following are tips from Mayo Clinic to help prevent tick bites which may cause Lyme Disease:

• Use tick repellent
  • Spray your outdoor clothing, shoes, tent, and other camping gear with a repellent that has 0.5% permethrin. Some gear and clothing may be pre-treated with permethrin.
  • Use an insect repellent registered with the Environmental Protection Agency on any exposed skin, except your face. These include repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD) or 2-undecanone.
• Dress for protection
  • Wear light-colored clothing that makes it easier for you or others to see ticks on your clothing.
  • Avoid open-toed shoes or sandals.
  • Wear long-sleeved shirts tucked into your pants.
  • Wear long pants tucked into your socks.
• Check for ticks
  • Shower as soon as possible to wash off any loose ticks. Check for ticks that may have burrowed.
  • Check your gear. Before you wash your outdoor clothes, put them in the dryer on hot for at least 10 minutes to kill ticks.
• Other tips
  • Do a daily inspection for ticks on any pet that spends time outdoors.
  • Stay on clear paths as much as possible in wooded and grassy areas.