I was sitting in Library Park in Lakeport last year enjoying the view of the lake when I noticed a small tick crawling up my arm. I immediately recognized it as a deer tick. I grabbed the tick and killed it but there was no doubt that it was looking for a blood meal. Lake County is literally awash with deer ticks, also known as the black-legged tick. They are harmless for the most part but can be carriers of Lyme disease. If you’re infected with the disease and don’t get properly treated, you can have a life of misery.
The disease was named in 1977 when arthritis was observed in a cluster of children in and around Lyme, Connecticut. Actually, the disease is thought to have been around for centuries.
While most of the reported Lyme disease cases are still back East, California leads the western states in the number of confirmed cases, with about 500 per year. The disease is more common in Northern California than in the southern part of the state. Mendocino and Sonoma counties are the top two counties in the state in reported cases of Lyme disease but there have been cases reported in every county in Northern California. Lake County has about three reported cases per year.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Lyme disease is a bacterial disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease is spread by the bite of a tick. In California, it’s the western black-legged tick that transmits the disease. The tick bites an infected animal such as a mouse, bird or a deer and then becomes a carrier of the disease. Only the female tick can carry the disease.
Lyme disease symptoms vary. Within one to two weeks of being infected a person may develop a “bull’s-eye” rash accompanied by fever, headache and muscle or joint pain. Some people have Lyme disease and do not have any early symptoms. Other people have a fever and other “flu-like” symptoms without a rash. In it’s early stages Lyme disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics. However, if left untreated it can cause arthritic or neurological problems that will require extensive treatment.
After several days or weeks, the bacteria may spread throughout the body of an infected person. People infected with the disease experience a wide array of symptoms from arthritis to heart and neurological problems. There have been very few deaths caused by Lyme disease, however the crippling effects of the disease can last a lifetime.
People most at risk for catching Lyme disease are hunters, hikers, campers or workers who spend a good deal of time in the woods. A controlled study by entomologist Dr. Robert S. Lane of the University of California at Berkeley listed the five greatest risk behaviors for catching Lyme disease. The study consisted of researchers doing various tasks in the woods and the number of ticks were counted that attached themselves to the individuals. Sitting on a log drew most of the ticks. That was followed by gathering wood, sitting against a tree, walking through the woods and sitting in leaf piles.
According to Lane, hunters are at a greater risk of contacting the disease because they often spend hours sitting against a tree or on a log, the theory being that the longer a person stays in one place the more ticks he/she will attract. The ticks are most active during the spring and summer months.
Only nymphs (Immature ticks) and adult female ticks can transmit the Lyme disease bacteria to humans. It’s the nymphs, which are about the size of a poppy seed, that are most dangerous because they’re hard to see and difficult to remove.
Only a small percentage of ticks carry the Lyme disease bacteria. Studies have shown that in most areas in the West less than 3 percent of the ticks are actual carriers.
People with symptoms of Lyme disease should see their doctor as early as possible. When caught early, the disease is easily treated with antibiotics.
Most physicians familiar with Lyme disease aggressively treat any suspected case with antibiotics. They consider it better to error on the safe side.
Ticks can be repelled by applying a tick repellent to clothing. The most common repellents have the ingredient DEET. There is also a repellent called REPEL, which is made of permethrin. When sprayed on your clothes it will kill the ticks. You should also check your body carefully for several days after returning from the woods. Ticks like to attach themselves in your groin and underarm areas, and other places where the skin is soft.
More information about ticks in Lake County can be obtained by going to the Lake County Vector Control District website at www.lcvcd.org.
