Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease
An emerging public health concern in the New River Valley is the increase in reported cases of Lyme disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vectorborne illness in the United States,” although it is concentrated primarily in only thirteen states. The New River Valley reported a record number of cases in 2012, and is considered endemic to Lyme disease per the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) (Jones, S, 2010). There is no clear explanation, but some theories attribute the increased prevalence to environmental factors. There are many implications for health care providers and public health clinicians.
Potential Health Effects If diagnosed in the early stage, Lyme disease can be cured with antibiotic therapy; however it can lead to serious health problems if not treated adequately (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013). The first stage of Lyme disease is a localized infection occurring 7-14 days after infection (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013). Symptoms may include a characteristic “bulls-eye” rash, called erythema migrans, as well as flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, fatigue, and myalgia (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013). The second stage, early disseminated disease, may occur weeks or months after the initial infection (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013). The symptoms may include muscle and joint pain, and cardiac or neurologic problemsNichols & Windemuth, 2013). The third stage may occur months or years later, and is characterized by chronic symptoms affecting the skin, nervous system, joints, and heart (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013).
Risk Assessment Lyme disease was first identified as a hazard in the 1970’s, when it was found to be the “cause of a cluster of pediatric arthritis cases in Lyme, Connecticut (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013). According to the American Lyme Disease Foundation (ALDF), residents of areas endemic to Lyme disease, such as
Lyme Disease
An emerging public health concern in the New River Valley is the increase in reported cases of Lyme disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vectorborne illness in the United States,” although it is concentrated primarily in only thirteen states. The New River Valley reported a record number of cases in 2012, and is considered endemic to Lyme disease per the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) (Jones, S, 2010). There is no clear explanation, but some theories attribute the increased prevalence to environmental factors. There are many implications for health care providers and public health clinicians.
Potential Health Effects If diagnosed in the early stage, Lyme disease can be cured with antibiotic therapy; however it can lead to serious health problems if not treated adequately (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013). The first stage of Lyme disease is a localized infection occurring 7-14 days after infection (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013). Symptoms may include a characteristic “bulls-eye” rash, called erythema migrans, as well as flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, fatigue, and myalgia (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013). The second stage, early disseminated disease, may occur weeks or months after the initial infection (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013). The symptoms may include muscle and joint pain, and cardiac or neurologic problemsNichols & Windemuth, 2013). The third stage may occur months or years later, and is characterized by chronic symptoms affecting the skin, nervous system, joints, and heart (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013).
Risk Assessment Lyme disease was first identified as a hazard in the 1970’s, when it was found to be the “cause of a cluster of pediatric arthritis cases in Lyme, Connecticut (Nichols & Windemuth, 2013). According to the American Lyme Disease Foundation (ALDF), residents of areas endemic to Lyme disease, such as
References: American Lyme Disease Foundation.( 2010). Specific information on the prevention and diagnosis. Retrieved from http://www.aldf.com/faq.shtml#Risk. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Lyme Disease. Preventing Tick Bites. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/index.html. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Lyme Disease Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/faq/index.html. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Lyme Disease Data. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/index.html. Fitzgerald, K. (2013). Potential Lyme disease vaccine shows promise. Medical News Today. Retrieved from http://medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260474.php. Jones, S. (2010). Virginia sees rise in Lyme disease. The Roanoke Times. Retrieved from http://ww2.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/249149/. National Capital Lyme Disease Association. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.natcaplyme.org. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2013). Lyme Disease. Retrieved from http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/lymedisease/research/Pages/antibiotic/aspx. Nichols, C. & Windemuth, B. (2013). Lyme disease: from early localized disease to post-lyme disease syndrome. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. 9(6). 362-367. Remley, K. (2012). Lyme disease clinician letter. Retrieved from http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/clinicians.pdf/Lyme disease Update 2012.pdf. Simpson, E. (2013). Doctors say state is meddling with Lyme disease bill. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved from http://www.hamptonroads.com/2013/03/doctors-say-state-meddling-lyme-disease-bill. United States Legislative Information. (2013). Legislative search results. Retrieved from http://beta.congress.gov/search?q={“congress”%3A”113”%2C”source”%3A”legislation”%2C”search”%3A”lyme”}. Virginia Department of Health. (2011). Lyme disease tracking and prevention in Virginia. Retrieved from http://wwww.vhd.virginia.gov/epidemiology/DEE/Vectorborne/HCPs/Lyme presentation for LHDs_2011a.pptx.