Lyme Disease Reports Hit New High

[Guest guest]

Well, after my last post, I guess I have to say that at least some

journalists are seeing the increasing numbers of infection and the

danger of chronic CNS, joint and heart involvement.

This is good news. Didn't mean to be so cynical before.

> Lyme Disease Reports Hit New High

>

> http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?

FRONTID=SCIENCE & STORYID=APIS7H3J

> DOG0

[Guest guest]

Thursday January 17 3:42 PM ET

Lyme Disease Reports Hit New High

ATLANTA (AP) - Reported cases of Lyme disease, the tick-borne illness that

can cause fatigue, sore joints and heart damage, climbed to a record high in

2000, the government reported Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) said it

recorded 17,730 cases, up 8 percent from 1999. The disease was found in 44

states and the District of Columbia, with six states Lyme-free.

Lyme cases nearly doubled in the 1990s, in part because more Americans

built homes in the woods, exposing themselves to ticks, according to the CDC.

The disease causes fatigue, fever and joint pain that can persist for

weeks, and some patients develop severe arthritis. Lyme disease also can badly

damage the heart and nervous system if it goes untreated by antibiotics.

Daily tick checks, vaccinations and insect repellent are recommended as

preventive measures.

In 2000, 95 percent of Lyme cases reported to CDC came from just 12

states, almost all of them in the Northeast.

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On the Net:

CDC Lyme disease page: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme