09-29-2011, 01:31 PM
B&C 100 Class
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Join Date: Sep 2011
| | Good News
Here are some facts about Lyme Disease:
1. Lyme Disease is spread by ONLY the Blacklegged Tick (deer tick).
2. Transmission is very slow. Often a tick removed within 48 hours will not give you Lyme Disease.
3. The tests for Lyme Disease are actually very poor and are tons of false positives (cases are actually thought to be about 50% lower than reported). However, almost ALL tick born diseases have the same signs and symptons. Doxcylene can be prescribed and will treat almost all of these diseases.
4. Bullseye rash is shown in about 80% of cases ( of Lyme Disease;similiar feeling diseases don't have the same kind of rash because the bacteria aren't of the same type). The rash is made up of the center (bite) point and the outer ring. The outer ring is actually the spiral bacteria moving out from the center through the connective tissue and the muscle tissue.
5. As far as TN (my state) goes, the reported cases of Lyme Disease (even diagnosed by doctor ones) happen at a time when the Blacklegged Tick isn't active. In TN the BLTick is more commonly active in the spring and late fall. However, most cases of disease are reported during summer months. This means that most cases are more likely allergic reactions or other types of disease. In TN the main disease to worry about is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
No matter what the diagnosis though, if you are feeling ill, GO to the DOCTOR. However, if you run into a cases where you get a blacklegged tick, preserve it when you pull it off just in case you feel bad afterward.
Also: I have a lot of information on wildlife in PowerPoint Slides, is there a way I can load a lot of the lectures I have on to this site?