Lyme disease could soar this year
State health officials say reports of confirmed cases have tripled, and southern Maine vets started seeing dogs with active cases in January.
By Deirdre Fleming dfleming@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
Reports of confirmed Lyme disease cases have been pouring into the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention this year at a rate three times above normal.
Fifty cases of people with Lyme disease in Maine were reported to the CDC in January and February, compared to an average of 15 for those two months during the previous five years, said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine CDC.
The warm winter and current balmy conditions are likely to blame, medical officials say, setting the stage for a possible increase in ticks and tick-borne disease this summer.
"Lyme disease has tripled in just the first two months of the year. I've never heard of ticks in February and March in Maine," Mills said.
Nine hundred cases of Lyme disease have been reported each year during the past two years. Mills said people likely can expect to see that figure go up in 2010.
Similarly, veterinarians in southern Maine say many dogs were diagnosed with Lyme disease this winter, something that normally doesn't happen until spring.
"I was pulling ticks off (dogs) in January and seeing active cases of Lyme disease in January," said veterinarian Sandra Mitchell at Animal Medical Associates in Saco.
"It's already been a banner year for ticks. Once they get out and start breeding and feeding, we're in for a rough year."
As far as Windham veterinarian Diane Shively is concerned, people should never have let their guard down.
"Lyme disease in this area is very common. We deal with it on a regular basis," said Shively, a relief veterinarian at Lakes Region Animal Hospital.
Ticks normally come out in the middle of April, when the snow is gone and the ground thaws. But given the tropical weather Maine saw last fall and this winter, ticks have been active most of the past several months, said Chuck Lubelczyk, a biologist with the Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory at Maine Medical Center.
This winter, many ticks never went into the hibernation phase, Lubelczyk said. The ticks that did hibernate in the ground in the late fall will feed all summer long when they become active, he said.
And this year, the rodent population is up as well, Lubelczyk added, so that will serve to spread the disease further because mice and small mammals carry the tick that spreads Lyme disease.
"I think what you can say is, people will be more exposed to ticks, and there will be an increased chance of Lyme disease," Lubelczyk said.
In southern Maine, especially, that's a concern.
Mills said the disease is now found in all 16 counties in Maine. However, since reported Lyme disease cases began to increase here 15 years ago, Mills said that the numbers have been highest in York and Cumberland counties.
It is in York County where studies by Maine Medical Center biologists have shown that anywhere from 50 to 70 percent of ticks carry the Lyme disease bacteria, Lubelczyk said.
Lyme disease was first linked to ticks in Lyme, Conn., in 1978 after a spate of cases involving a unique kind of arthritis.
More than 30 years later, little is known about how to successfully treat Lyme disease in more advanced cases.
When Lyme disease in humans is treated immediately with antibiotics, there are no lingering problems, Mills said.
However, veterinarians are not as certain how to help cure dogs of the widespread disease, particularly in advanced stages.
"If you ask 10 vets, you get 11 options," Mitchell said. "It's true there isn't any scientific proof to support any of the common treatments. We're kind of left to our own good judgment."
One thing health experts agree on: Lyme disease is a danger now more than ever.
"If the dog is getting a positive test for Lyme disease, people need to be aware of their environment. If it's a parent with children, you want to know if your dog is positive if your kids play in the same place," said Shively, the Windham veterinarian.
Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:
dfleming@pressherald.com
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15 COMMENTS
SH said...
Patients with late-stage Lyme disease only want the same thing that dogs get: the right to be treated by doctors who are allowed to use "their own good judgment," just as veterinarians do. Instead, insurers in Maine refuse to reimburse for extended treatments, and in many states doctors are hauled before medical boards for treating any longer than what is prescribed for an early, uncomplicated case. Dora Mills knows this, yet every time legislation has been brought forward in Augusta, Dora has been against it. How many people need to become disabled this year and are no longer able to contribute to Maine's tax base before Augusta wakes up?
April 4, 2010 at 2:30 AM Report abuse
mutt said...
Great information on the insurance treatment question. Just couldn't help yourself by politcalizing with the tax base crap.
April 4, 2010 at 5:53 AM Report abuse
hoagies said...
Probably caused by the liberal democrats...
April 4, 2010 at 7:21 AM Report abuse
Hipupchuck said...
Well this article will keep the couch potatoes on their couches. Just kick your feet up and eat another bag of Oreos. Never mind getting out and exercising. The bugs will get you.
April 4, 2010 at 7:42 AM Report abuse
SH said...
Hey mutt, I have no problem taking the politics out of it. I don't like seeing desperately ill people being cut off from treatment options that work. And in Maine with Lyme, it happens all the time.
April 4, 2010 at 10:46 AM Report abuse
boofaloo said...
Just Frontlined the dog. Good 'heads up' article. Thanks.
April 4, 2010 at 12:04 PM Report abuse
Mainedog said...
Hopefully there will be a rash of sick democrats in this state and they will finally vote against the party line! Maybe with Lyme disease they'll realize the their party is a sinking ship and taking our country with them!
April 4, 2010 at 2:32 PM Report abuse
Relax said...
"Warm winter and current balmy conditions are likely to blame." And that would be caused by? Anyone thinking that Global Warming may have something to do with this? We saw odd temps and extream storms in unusual places pass over the globe this year. That's exactly what GW (Not GWB)predicts will happen. Could be something to it, ayah.
April 4, 2010 at 2:59 PM Report abuse
MaineHiker said...
hoagies and mainedog already have rabies.
April 4, 2010 at 4:04 PM Report abuse
supertrooper said...
WELLS COPS ARE DIRTY COPS, ESPECIALLY KEVIN C. DIRTY DIRTY COP. DUMB COUNCILMAN.
April 4, 2010 at 5:26 PM Report abuse
SWtleQ%3D%3D said...
As a chronic Lyme suffer, I can only hope and pray that people will open their eyes. Lyme disease is here. I am another victim. And I would never want my worst enemy to endure this terrible illness.! People need to be aware. Doctors need to understand the sick patient and stop believing in the Lyme test for their whole diagnosis. I was not treated properly even though I had a small rash. Everyone needs to check for ticks. Not all Lyme ticks produce a bullseye rash. Nor does all Lyme tests show "positive". Time to wake up! This is serious stuff!
April 4, 2010 at 9:43 PM Report abuse
GrammieX6 said...
I truly dislike seeing people make light of Late Stage Lyme Disease. If you suffered one day from this horrible sickness, you'd think twice about doing it. Wishing Lyme on anyone you disagree with is like wishing cancer on those who don't think your way. My husband has LSLD and believe me he suffers. Doctors can't help him...we've gone from long-term antibiotics (no/no) to "you should consider a psych eval because you seem to be depressed (no crap, who wouldn't be.) SOMEONE has to start looking into this disease and what to do about the abundance of ticks, coming out earlier and staying later. After our Easter Egg Hunt today, our grandson had one on him. Research, please.
April 4, 2010 at 10:10 PM Report abuse
Bole said...
I read that Deer Flies can also carry Lyme disease and there are plenty of them this year.
June 28, 2010 at 8:44 PM Report abuse
stinkyspot said...
I have had it, not bad if you catch it soon. I live on a game preserve, so not only are there a lot of deer, it is a safehaven. We even have some degenerates who feed them, and do not hunt them... talk about NOT helping... Anyway, if you live in an area infested... you can do things to minimize your exposure... some strategicaly placed barriers like fence sections, fallen trees, etc... to re-route the deer. Also, keep your lawn trim and TREAT YOUR PETS... Also, good rule of thumb... the tick needs to be on your (In you) for about 13 hours before you are likley to get infected so just check your pets, check yourself and if you find one on you dont sweat it. Also, know the difference between wood ticks and deer ticks.
June 29, 2010 at 11:28 AM Report abuse
mainerunr said...
relax, or maybe its part of the natural cycle that has been occurring for thousands of years. I see Al Gore got you, hook line and sinker (yet look at how he lives to see if he really believes it and clearly, he doesnt...but he has gotten rich off it.)
June 29, 2010 at 12:53 PM Report abuse