Lyme article Michigan newspaper

[Guest guest]

http://www.htnews.com/news/page21.htm

Woman crusading to educate county on dangers of Lyme disease

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----

Photo by ALAN WARD

Black stops on an Island Lake Recreation Area path. The Brighton

woman wants to educate people about Lyme disease.

By Kate Shuster

STAFF WRITER

Black grew up near Brighton’s Island Lake Recreation Area and spent

many summer days walking on the park’s wooded trails.

It could have been there, or at Girl Scout Camp, or somewhere else that she

picked up an unwelcome visitor — a tick — and a serious disease.

Lyme disease, an infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, has

given Black many severe symptoms, including an irregular heartbeat,

digestive problems, nerve damage and joint problems. The infection is

carried by deer ticks, tiny pests as difficult to identify as the disease is

to diagnose.

“The doctors aren’t aware of Lyme disease in this area,” said the Brighton

resident. When Black, now 24, was diagnosed with Lyme disease in September,

she had been suffering symptoms for years. Doctors think she had contracted

the illness from a tick bite she received between five and 10 years ago.

“A lot of patients get a rash,” she said, describing Lyme disease’s

trademark “bull’s-eye” skin inflammation. “I didn’t get the rash.”

Without the disease’s hallmark rash, Black said, she was a hard case to

diagnose.

“Each doctor saw the symptoms, but no one saw the whole picture,” she said.

For years, Black had been treated for symptoms of Lyme disease before she

was finally diagnosed in September. Since then, she’s been on antibiotics

and the symptoms have cleared some.

Since her diagnosis, Black has become a crusader for Lyme disease awareness

and prevention. On medical leave from her job at the University of Michigan

Hospital, she spends time trying to spread the word faster than ticks can

spread the disease.

She will travel to Washington, D.C., to attend the Lyme Disease Press

Conference and Rally the first week in May, during which she will speak to

U.S. Rep. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) and her staff about educating

southeastern Michigan about the growing danger of Lyme disease.

“People who don’t have Lyme disease don’t think about it,” said Black. “We

need to be more educated about it.”

Livingston County residents do need to start thinking about Lyme disease,

which is on the increase in this area, she said.

“The number of cases in this area have grown quite a bit,” she said. “The

more the deer population goes up and the more the woods, their habitat, is

cut down, the more the ticks live in people’s back yards.

“It came to this area so quickly, they weren’t ready for it.”

Black said that many people — medical professionals as well as the general

population — are still unaware of the danger Lyme disease poses for this

area of Michigan.

Black manned a booth at the Home Show at Howell High School April 15-16,

handing out green ribbons that represent Lyme disease awareness.

“People are wearing lime-green pins and tying lime-green ribbons on their

car antennas or other places,” said Black. “By doing this, it means that you

support the continued research and education of Lyme disease.”

A green ribbon isn’t all you can wear to aid in the prevention of Lyme

disease. Clothing can help greatly reduce the chances of tick bites in the

summer months, said Black.

Hats, long-sleeved shirts and long pants will keep ticks off during hikes

through wooded areas. Insect repellent will also help keep ticks off.

“Wear light-colored clothing so you can see ticks,” she said. The insects, a

few millimeters long, are small but can be detected against light-colored

surfaces.

Black also plans to start a Lyme disease support group by summer.

DETAILS

Think of summer and you think of picnics, hikes and backyard ballgames,

activities that bring humans into grassy and wooded areas.

Unfortunately, hikers share the woods and meadows with another species —the

deer tick, the carrier of Lyme disease.

With cases of Lyme disease on the rise in southeastern Michigan, the

Michigan Lyme Disease Association suggests taking these precautions before

heading into the woods this summer:

• Be aware of tick habitats such as tall grass, bushes, brush and woods.

When summer adventure calls you into such areas, wear shoes and clothing

that will keep ticks off. Wear a hat, long-sleeved shirt and long pants.

• Tick and insect repellents help keep ticks away.

• Brush off your clothing before coming indoors. Check your skin for ticks

after being outside.

• Check pets frequently for ticks and use a tick repellent suggested by a

veterinarian. Pets can also get Lyme disease, or transfer ticks to humans.

• In the case of a bite, remove the tick promptly by grasping its mouth area

with tweezers. Ticks can remain embedded in the skin of the host for 2-4

days.

• For further information on Lyme disease, call (888) 784-LYME.

“Each doctor saw the symptoms, but no one saw the whole picture,” she said.

For years, Black had been treated for symptoms of Lyme disease before she

was finally diagnosed in September. Since then, she’s been on antibiotics

and the symptoms have cleared some.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----

© COPYRIGHT 1999 HomeTownNewspapers , a division of HomeTown Communications