Local Doc Says Lyme Disease is Common in Region
By: Charlotte Ames
Updated: August 13, 2012
The State Health Department calls Lyme disease, which is spread by deer ticks, a significant public health issue in Pennsylvania. Three to four-thousand cases are reported every year, mainly in younger people.
Federal and state statistics on Lyme disease are two years behind and show Pennsylvania as one of twelve states with the most cases. Health officials say the disease seems to be spreading west and north in Pennsylvania.
An infectious disease specialist at DuBois Regional Medical Center says Lyme disease is prevalent , but when treated quickly, poses no long-term danger.
According to Dr. Jonathan Pope, "what causes some controversy and confusion is that the blood test for the disease will remain positive even after treatment, so that doesn't mean that one is still infected, it simply means that you have been exposed and you have antibodies against the bacteria."
Dr Pope says a bulls-eye rash is the tell-tale sign of Lyme disease, although not every patient develops it. Other signs include mild to severe flu-like symptoms, along with muscle and joint pain.
He says a tick has to remain attached for several days to cause Lyme disease. Treatment with an antibiotic, right away can prevent or cure it.
For more information on Lyme disease.
Federal and state statistics on Lyme disease are two years behind and show Pennsylvania as one of twelve states with the most cases. Health officials say the disease seems to be spreading west and north in Pennsylvania.
An infectious disease specialist at DuBois Regional Medical Center says Lyme disease is prevalent , but when treated quickly, poses no long-term danger.
According to Dr. Jonathan Pope, "what causes some controversy and confusion is that the blood test for the disease will remain positive even after treatment, so that doesn't mean that one is still infected, it simply means that you have been exposed and you have antibodies against the bacteria."
Dr Pope says a bulls-eye rash is the tell-tale sign of Lyme disease, although not every patient develops it. Other signs include mild to severe flu-like symptoms, along with muscle and joint pain.
He says a tick has to remain attached for several days to cause Lyme disease. Treatment with an antibiotic, right away can prevent or cure it.
For more information on Lyme disease.
Comments
This report contains ALOT of very INACCURATE and MISLEADING information. First, Lyme disease is very under reported. Then the infectious disease Dr says that when treated quickly, Lyme poses no long term danger. The problem is that ID Dr's only prescribe 100 mg Doxycycline twice daily for 2-3 weeks. Lyme literate Dr's who belong to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) would prescribe 200 mg doxy twice daily for a longer period.
If the lower dose of doxy dose not completely erradicate the infection, then the infection can spread throughout the body, becoming chronic and causing very serious multi-system problems.
The "controversy" is NOT about a blood test that remains positive after treatment. It is about testing that is very inaccurate and insensitive, missing many, many cases of Lyme, leaving thousands and thousands of people undiagnosed, untreated, and chronically ill. It is also ab...out the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) whose members (your local Dr's!) do not believe that Lyme disease can be chronic. They claim that it is hard to contract and easy to treat. That is SO WRONG!
Also, a tick DOES NOT need to be attached for several days to transmit Lyme disease. Many people have been infected in a very short period of time....minutes even. It is true that the longer a tick is attached, the greater the chance of transmission.
That Dr also said that treatment with antibiotics right away can prevent or cure Lyme disease. MAYBE. It is important to get a high enough dose for a long enough period of time. An IDSA Dr would likely pronounce you "cured" even if your symptoms persisted after you had your couple weeks of antibiotics.
A lyme literate Dr knows that Lyme disease is a serious infection that can easily spread and cause major health problems, even disability or death. And the Dr didn't even mention the many other infections that the same tick can transmit at the same time.
BTW, don't believe what you read on the CDC website about lyme disease. The people who work at the CDC are not Lyme literate Dr's...they don't even see patients.
If you want to learn the REAL TRUTH about Lyme disease and other common tick-borne infections, read these links:
http://www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/about_lyme.html
http://www.lymepa.org/Basics2007v1.2Rev.pdf
http://www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/B_guidelines_12_17_08.pdf
http://www.lymedisease.org/lyme101/lyme_disease/lyme_disease.htmlSee More
Amber A.
August 14, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Charlotte Ames is the area's only local Health Reporter and brings you the latest medical health news weeknights. You can catch Healthcast on WTAJ News at 5:00pm and her Health Headlines report on WTAJ News at 5:30pm.