(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca)

OPINION

Lyme, a small town in Connecticut — about two hours from New York City — has never been what you might call famous. Founded some 375 years ago - and named after the small coastal town in England - it has been home to no more than 2,500 people for the last 200 years.

Its closest brush with fame was when about 150 residents - men, women and children - of Lyme reported some puzzling and debilitating health issues in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with symptoms ranging from swollen knees, paralysis, skin rashes, headaches and severe chronic fatigue.

It would be more than a decade before the culprit - a deer tick…a.k.a. black-legged tick - whose bite often brings pain and suffering for years was identified and the infection named. It is called Lyme disease, and with 600,000 new cases each year, it is one of the fastest-growing vector-borne infections in North America.

Last year, about 20,000 Canadians were infected with Lyme disease…with nearly a third in Nova Scotia. But British Columbia - especially Vancouver Island and the Okanagan - is home to the black-legged tick and poses a Lyme disease risk.

If you’re a golfer, a picnicker, gardener, camper, hiker or just like the great outdoors - especially in areas with a nearby deer population…your chances of picking up a tick are pretty good. Don’t be too alarmed…you simply need to be vigilant.

If you find a black-legged tick on you, it doesn’t mean you’ll get Lyme disease. In fact, a tick might take a day to attach itself and between 36 and 48 hours of feeding on your blood before you are likely to be infected with the bacteria...a spirochete called Borrelia burgdorferi.

Black-legged ticks live two to three years…going through four stages…egg, larva, nymph and adult…the latter three relying regularly on blood. Larval and nymphal ticks can become infected with Lyme disease bacteria when feeding on an infected wildlife host, usually a rodent. Oddly, perhaps, deer are preferred sources of blood for ticks and ticks rely on them for movement to new areas...but deer are unaffected with Lyme disease bacteria and do not infect ticks.

The black-legged tick is most active in Spring, Summer and early Fall…and can survive even the harshest Winter.

How do your avoid ticks getting on you in the first place…without staying indoors? If you’re in tick territory - hiking, for example - wear long sleeves and pants…and tuck your pants into your socks. Avoid mesh or open-weave clothing…young ticks - called nymphs - are no bigger than a poppy seed. Wear light-coloured clothing…ticks are dark and easier to see.

You can use bug sprays…natural citronella, for instance, masks your scent…or if you don’t mind using heavy-duty insecticides that kill ticks and other insects on contact…there’s sprays with IR3535 and DEET. These can be used on the skin safely, but sprays containing pyrethrin should only be used on exterior clothing and gear…and then sparingly.

Also, there are lots of different ticks…and diseases…so check out Tick Encounter, a University of Rhode Island website (they know ticks), and you can download free apps for both Android and iOS devices to help identify ticks.

If you have a choice…avoid grassy areas 12 inches to 18 inches tall…this is the preferred area for ticks. Ticks don’t jump or hang from tree limbs…they stick out their Velcro-like legs and hitchhike as you rub against brush or grass.

Okay, what do you do after romping in the woods? Well, remove your clothing as soon as you can…even before getting in your vehicle…and put them in a sealed plastic bag. When you return home, throw the clothes…not in the washing machine, but the dryer. Ticks hate high heat and 15 minutes in a dryer will kill them. Then wash your clothes, preferably in hot water.

Do a full-body tick inspection…if you see one of the little buggers, grab some Scotch Tape and capture it…fold the tape over trapping it and dispose of it. If it’s imbedded…don’t try any of the old folklore remedies…no matches or lighters…no petroleum jelly or nail polish to suffocate it. These methods are imprecise and can increase your chances of infection…and cause other issues.

Use a good pair of tweezers, and grab it by the head…closest to your skin…and gently remove. Again, Scotch Tape comes in handy to trap them after removal. Dab some disinfectant on the bite and you’re done.

If you’re unlucky enough to contract Lyme disease…anywhere from three to 30 days you might experience fever, chills, headache, fatigue, a rash, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes in the absence of rash.

The rash - Erythema migrans (EM) - looks like a target with a bullseye and can reach 12 inches in diameter. It might be warm to the touch, but is rarely itchy or painful. The sooner you get antibiotics coursing through your veins…the better.

Later - often months after the bite - you might otherwise experience severe headaches, dizziness, a stiff neck, arthritis, facial palsy, heart palpitations and shooting pains to the hands and feet. Antibiotics aren’t very effective at this stage…though some in the United States have used Nuclear Medicine…radiation…to get relief.

The fear of ticks or Lyme disease shouldn’t keep you inside this Summer. Indeed, your chances of being bitten and infected…while higher than a decade ago…shouldn’t be your biggest concern. Follow the advice here…and you can worry about something else…like is the car overdue an oil change?

— Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and in Florida. In a career that spans more than 40 years, Don has been a working journalist, a speechwriter and the CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners with great wines.

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