Why might Lyme disease never go away?

Find Out Why Lyme Disease Might Not Ever Go Away

Lyme disease is a curable ailment. In fact, if caught in the early stages, it can be cured within a few weeks’ time. Even so, Lyme infection can result in a chronic condition. Not everyone afflicted with Lyme disease will be cured.

Lyme disease might never go away — Lyme infection can result in a chronic condition.

Why Lyme Disease Might Not Ever Go Away

There are millions of people who have been diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease. However, there is no way of knowing how many people today are carriers, who never got sick. This is because many people never show symptoms of the infection in the first place. A study conducted by the CDC found that only 33% of infected people reported experiencing a single symptom.

Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease

A red bull’s eye rash that expands and fades after a few weeks.
A flu-like headache.
A fever that can feel like a mild infection.
A swollen and migratory joint pain.
Tingling and numbness in the hands, feet and/or other parts of the body.
Fatigue and memory loss.

Treating Lyme disease: What to do

People with early-stage Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics.
People who experience persistent symptoms after antibiotic treatment can be treated again.
People who experience long-term symptoms, such as fatigue or joint pain, should seek medical help right away.

Tick control is key to Lyme disease prevention

Avoiding ticks is the best way to avoid contracting any tick-borne illness. At home, professional tick control through periodic barrier protection sprays, will help you avoid ticks.

Prevent ticks from attaching to your skin by using insect repellent and wearing protective clothing.
Inspect your body for ticks after being outdoors, and remove them as soon as you see them.
Keep your yard mowed so that ticks have fewer places to hide.
Prevent mice and other rodents from entering your home.
Prevent your pets from bringing in ticks.

What to do if you’re bitten by a tick

Remove the tick as soon as possible.
Wash the bite area with soap and water.
Seek medical attention if symptoms worsen, such as a fever, joint pain, rash, or severe fatigue.

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast — Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Why We Need to Know About the Asian Long-Horned Tick

The Asian long-horned tick has reportedly made its way to Northern Missouri, as recently reported on Successful Farming’s website.

The Asian long-horned tick has the potential to wreak havoc on animals and humans. These ticks are not as famous as other ticks that transmit disease, such as the deer tick, but their potential to spread disease makes them a worthy adversary. Livestock owners are taking heed, as these nasty ticks pose a threat to herds, known as bovine theileriosis. Here are more reasons you should know about these ticks.

Asian long-horned ticks pose a threat to animals and humans.

Asian Long-Horned Ticks Can Spread Serious Diseases

The Asian long-horned ticks can spread a number of diseases, including Parvovirus B19. The B19 virus is a serious concern because it can lead to flu-like symptoms that can result in death in rare cases.

They Have a Rapid Reproduction Cycle

Asian long-horned ticks have a rapid reproduction cycle and large populations are expected to grow throughout the United States. Once a host is infected with a tick, it takes about three to four weeks for the tick to go from egg to adult. The ticks have a one-week feeding period, where they can live on their host for up to five days without feeding. After feeding, the ticks have a three- to four-week developmental period, after which they’ll drop off their host and mate, resulting in eggs that hatch into larvae. This means that ticks can quickly overpopulate areas and spread to other animals and hosts.

They Are Host-dependent on Several Species

Asian long-horned ticks are host-dependent, which means they only live on specific hosts and cannot survive without them. Asian long-horned ticks are found on a number of animals and can thrive in a variety of environments. These ticks can be found on a variety of livestock, including pigs, goats, and cattle, but they also feed on humans and companion animals, like dogs and cats. This can lead to an increase in tick-borne disease, especially in areas where the ticks are new to the ecosystem and have not been able to build up resistance to disease.

They Are Small and Easy to Miss

Asian long-horned ticks are small and have a dark color, which makes them easy to miss. Therefore, it is important to regularly examine your pets and yourself for signs of ticks. When you check your skin for ticks, start at your shoes and work your way up your legs and torso. This will make it easier to inspect your skin and will help you spot the ticks sooner. When you’re checking your pets, start at their feet and make your way up their legs, torso, and head.

The Tick Has Been Found in New Areas of the United States

Aside from the newest finding in Missouri, the Asian long-horned tick has been found in new areas of the United States, such as Florida, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. While the tick is not currently established in these areas, it has the potential to spread and become a major problem if it is not controlled. The tick has seen an increase in the rate at which it is spreading, with populations expanding in range and increasing in density in areas where the tick is already found. This means that the Asian long-horned tick is a threat to the United States and that researchers need to take the tick seriously.

Weymouth Tick Control for Tick and Tick-Borne Illness Protection

For protection against any and all ticks here in Massachusetts, I urge you to call on the experts. Reputable Weymouth tick control providers will offer solutions for protecting your home and family not simply in the warm weather months, but all year long!

The Truth Behind Fall Tick Bites

Even if you don’t live in a heavily wooded area, the coming of cooler, drier fall weather means that the fall tick season has begun.

But even if you’re vigilant about checking yourself and your family after time spent outside, you might still get bitten by a tick. So, what do you need to know about ticks and tick bites? As any camper who spent time in the woods knows, ticks can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease to people and animals. In fact, from 2004 to 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the incidence of reported tick-borne diseases tripled in the U.S. In this blog post, I’ll explore some of the reasons why this is happening — and what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting one of these diseases.

fall tick bites — Tick bites can happen, even in the fall.

What’s causing the rise in tick-borne diseases?

Researchers have been unable to pinpoint a single reason for the spike in tick-borne illnesses. Instead, it seems that a confluence of factors has contributed to the tick population’s growth and spread. One factor that may have contributed to the uptick in tick-borne diseases, like Lyme disease, is an increase in the number of people living in wooded areas. As suburbs encroach on formerly wooded areas, more people are likely to come into contact with ticks.

Why are tick bites so prevalent today?

One reason tick bites are so prevalent right now is that people are checking themselves less often. In a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, researchers found that the number of participants who self-checked for ticks decreased from 72% to just 46% between 1985 and 2017. That’s despite the fact that ticks are growing in number, are about twice as large as they were 30 years ago and are now carrying more diseases than ever. Finally, warmer temperatures have allowed ticks to survive and thrive in areas in which they had previously died off.

What can you do to protect yourself from tick bites?

It’s important to take precautions to protect yourself and your family from tick bites. And you should be extra vigilant during the fall tick season. Start by wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts whenever you’re outdoors. Ticks are often found in wooded areas, at the edges of trails and in tall grass. Once you’re outside, check your whole body for ticks. And be sure to check your child’s entire body, too. Perform a full-body tick check using a hands-on approach: Kids should check themselves for ticks by using the back of their hands to feel for ticks along their heads, ears and backs, and then carefully examining their bodies using a mirror. Remember to focus on the parts of the body where ticks commonly latch on to people — namely, the back of the thighs, behind the knees, the armpits and hairline.

Why should you continue tick control through fall and winter?

While ticks are more prevalent in the spring and summer, they’re still around in the fall — and winter, too. In fact, CDC research has found that ticks are active in every month of the year in every region of the U.S. Even though ticks are less active in winter, they’re still around and may bite as they wait for warmer weather. Plus, they’re also less likely to be discovered and removed, increasing the risk of infection. That’s why it’s important to continue to be vigilant about tick control through fall and winter. Apply tick repellents to clothing, especially pants and shoes. Perform daily tick checks — especially on children, who are less likely to notice a tick bite than an adult would. And regularly use a tick removal tool to safely remove any ticks you find.

Shrewsbury tick control is for all seasons.

You need year-round tick protection and there are companies, who can provide it. Reputable Shrewsbury tick control professionals can deploy tick control tubes this time of year, and actually decrease the number of ticks around your home next spring. Protection for now – and protection for later, all in one treatment!

What does a tick bite look like?

Maybe you have encountered ticks, but have not been bitten.

What does a tick bite look like? Do all tick bites result in disease? Most people, who receive a tick bite will note a small amount of redness after the tick is removed. If that redness spreads, becomes hot to the touch, or begins to take on a bulls-eye appearance, seek immediate medical attention. You could have a skin infection, Lyme disease, or something much worse.

How do ticks bite?

Like mosquitoes, ticks bite by sinking their mouthparts into your skin. While a mosquito bites quickly to get her blood meal, a tick will latch on until it becomes engorged and falls off. Black-legged ticks must maintain attachment for 24 to 48 hours in order to pass Lyme infection. The same tick must only be attached for 15 minutes in order to transmit the potentially deadly Powassan virus. Actually, the tick doesn’t even have to make a full attachment. So, if you find a tick attached to your skin, it does not have to become engorged to make you sick.

Should I receive treatment for my tick bite?

Depending on the medical diagnosis you receive, your tick bite could be treated. If you are experiencing only a minor skin infection from your tick bite, you might be treated with an antibiotic cream or an oral medication. If you have a bulls-eye rash that indicates Lyme infection, your doctor will treat you with doxycycline.

If the redness you are seeing develops into symptoms that indicate Powassan infection, your doctor will not have a direct treatment for your condition. At the time of this writing, Powassan is medically addressed by treating symptoms. These include vomiting, fever, and headache, but can also become sever. Symptoms, such as tremors, seizures, high fever, and paralysis could indicate that you are suffering encephalitis, which is treated in the hospital.

What is better than never finding out, “What does a tick bite look like?”

Not being bitten in the first place. Be sure that you are protected with tick repellent clothing when hiking or camping. At home, entrust your tick protection to a professional tick control company.

Ticks Are Everywhere in Central Mass and They’re Out for Blood

Tick bites can be harmless, or they can infect you with diseases like Lyme disease or spotted fever.

Even though not all ticks carry infection, it’s best to try to prevent tick bites or to find them early. You would be best advised to take preventive action all year long with the one-two punch for Shrewsbury tick control.

Deer ticks are all around you! — Deer ticks are all around, looking for blood.

Many of us may have thought they die off in the winter after the first hard frost. Unfortunately, they do not. The adult black-legged deer tick, which spreads Lyme disease begins its prime feeding activity just about the time of the first freeze. The reason being is that their main host animals are deer and deer are actively moving around in the fall. If deer aren’t around, black-legged ticks will attach to people or pets anytime the weather starts getting warmer.

Exactly What Are Ticks?

Ticks are parasites that feed on warm-blooded hosts by biting them. A tick bite can infect humans and animals with bacteria, viruses and protozoans (organisms made up of one cell) that can cause diseases.

Some of these tick-borne illnesses can be very serious and may include:

Lyme disease
Tularemia
Ehrlichiosis
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Anaplasmosis
Babesiosis

Other conditions spread by ticks include:

Colorado tick fever
Powassan virus
Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI)
Tick paralysis
Spotted fever
Relapsing fever
Heartland virus

Why Are Ticks Such A Problem In Shrewsbury?

The biggest reason? They are so small. Ticks are typically small and difficult to see until they have been attached for some time. They feed on your blood and become larger and easier to see.

Tick species most commonly found here include:

American Dog Tick: This varmint will attach to animals including dogs, cattle, deer, raccoons and humans if given the chance.
Brown Dog Tick: These invasive pests usually attach to dogs, occasionally feeding on people and domestic cats.
Black Legged Deer Ticks: These harbingers of dread attach primarily on deer, cattle and other large animals and people. Deer Ticks are carriers of Lyme Disease transmitting it through bites. And if for no other reason than this alone, Shrewsbury tick control is an extremely smart way to protect yourself and your property.

Also read: Can you get Lyme disease in the winter?

What is Lyme Disease and Should I be Concerned?

Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne illness in Central Mass and the United States.

However, everyone is not so familiar with what Lyme infection actually is. Lyme disease is an infection caused by bacteria carried by young deer ticks. If one bites you, you can get Lyme disease. Ticks can bite you anywhere on your body, but they usually bite in hard-to-see parts of your body such as the groin, scalp, and armpits. The ticks that cause Lyme disease are tiny, as small as a speck of dirt. So you may not even know you have been bitten.

If left untreated, Lyme infection can cause serious health problems affecting your joints, heart, and nervous system. But if diagnosed early, most cases of Lyme disease can be cured after a few weeks of treatment with antibiotics.

What Signs Do I Need To Watch For To Determine If I Need A Test For Lyme Disease?

You may need a Lyme disease test if you have symptoms of infection. The first symptoms of Lyme disease usually show up between three and 30 days after the tick bite.

They may include:

A distinctive skin rash that looks like a bull’s-eye (a red ring with a clear center)
Fever
Chills
Headache
Fatigue
Muscle aches

You may also need a Lyme disease test if you don’t have symptoms, but are at risk for infection. You may be at a higher risk if you:

Recently removed a tick from your body
Walked in a heavily wooded area, where ticks live, without covering exposed skin or wearing repellent
Have done either of the above activities and live in or have recently visited the northeast or Midwestern areas of the United States, where most Lyme disease cases occur

Lyme disease in Central Massachusetts is most treatable in its early stages, but you may still benefit from testing later on. Symptoms that can show up weeks or months after the tick bite may include:

Severe headache
Neck stiffness
Severe joint pain and swelling
Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet
Memory and sleep disorders

What Does Getting Tested For Lyme Infection Entail?

A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes.

If your health care provider thinks you have Lyme disease, he or she will prescribe antibiotic treatment. Most people who are treated with antibiotics in the early stage of this disease recover.

Reduce Your Chances Of Getting Lyme Disease with These Precautions

Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Avoid walking in wooded areas with high grass.
Walk in the center of trails.
Wear long pants and tuck them into your boots or socks.
Apply an insect repellent containing DEET to your skin and clothing.
At home, enlist professional Acton tick control providers to treat the areas around your exterior perimeter where ticks are most likely to dwell.

Is there a link between Lyme infection and celiac disease?

I recently happened upon an interesting claim online.

A person wrote in a forum that though they could not prove it, they believed there is a link between Lyme infection and celiac disease. And to their credit, anecdotally, this was true for them. Recently diagnosed with celiac disease, this person got to talking to someone they know, who also has it. During this conversation, they found another commonality. Both celiac disease sufferers had been diagnosed earlier in life with Lyme disease. This certainly begs the question: Is there a link between Lyme infection and celiac disease?

Is there a link between Lyme infection and celiac disease? — Lyme infection and celiac disease – does Lyme result in celiac for some people?

Lyme infection and celiac disease do have some parallels.

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States. There are many maddening facts about a Lyme diagnosis. One of those is that the disease can mimic other conditions. At the onset, it can feel like flu. Some sufferers do not seek medical attention at that stage. When they do, symptoms can be mistaken for other ailments. When undiagnosed and early stages, Lyme disease becomes chronic, resulting in a myriad of symptoms. It stands to reason that the question concerning the link between Lyme infection and celiac disease would eventually come up.

According to The University of Chicago Medicine, there are about three million celiac disease sufferers in the United States, with an estimated 97% undiagnosed. What’s more, there are links between celiac disease and other conditions. For instance, 6% of people with type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease. Celiac is an autoimmune disease, which has known links to other autoimmune disorders, including Multiple Sclerosis, Addison’s Disease, and Sjögren’s syndrome.

Celiac and Lyme are two tales of misunderstood diseases, but is there a link between the two? What is known is that both conditions have been steadily increasing. What’s more, both diseases are on the upswing in similar geographical territories. Just like Lyme disease, celiac disease is most prevalent in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. It is also suggested that celiac can be triggered by previous infections. Could Lyme infection be a trigger for a future celiac diagnosis?

A study was performed to investigate a possible link between Lyme infection and celiac disease.

In Sweden, where both diseases have high occurrences, it was found that those with previous Lyme diagnoses were at a slightly increased risk for celiac disease. However, it was also determined that those with celiac were at a slightly elevated risk of a Lyme diagnosis. This only confirmed surveillance bias. Surveillance bias means that because both diseases are so prevalent in the region, doctors are more likely to test for markers of either disease due to an overlap in symptoms. Finally, according to the study, “a very small proportion—less than 0.2 percent—had previously had Lyme disease, offering further evidence that Lyme disease does not represent a substantive risk factor in the development of celiac disease.”

Lyme disease prevention is available.

Perhaps the most maddening about Lyme infection, is that it can be prevented with proper tick protocols. This means using personal tick repellent and protective clothing when hiking and camping. It also means considering professional tick control measures around your home. Reputable tick control companies offer year-round programs that can drastically reduce your Lyme infection risk.

How Lyme Disease Could Be Overlooked in the Era of COVID-19

Lyme disease infects an estimated hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents each year.

Could the COVID epidemic further overshadow Lyme disease diagnoses? That is the question being asked. Each year in the United States, there are approximately 30,000 confirmed cases of Lyme. The problem with Lyme has always been difficulty in early diagnosis. So much so, that the CDC believes that actual cases of Lyme could be ten times the number of confirmed annual cases. And experts now believe that it could be missed more frequently in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic.

Is Lyme disease in Massachusetts overshadowed by COVID?

We are all weary of COVID and Lyme disease too.

It goes without saying that we are all weary of this worldwide pandemic. It has affected every aspect of life imaginable. From schooling our children, to working at home, to job loss – coronavirus has been detrimental to us all in some way. As of the date of this writing, the United States has had 47.5mm confirmed cases, Massachusetts accounting for 888,000 of those. It’s been front-page news since March 2020. COVID-19 has overshadowed everything for the better part of two years, including other medical diagnoses.

Are cancer and Lyme disease taking a backseat to COVID?

Many illnesses are being missed for a variety of reasons. One critical element in this overshadowing is that some people are afraid to go to the doctor. The fact that medical facilities are potentially filled with COVID-19 patients has caused this hesitancy. The American Cancer Society reported a substantial drop in cancer screenings. Since we have been hesitant to partake in elective health practices, many illnesses are not being caught in the early stages, including Lyme disease.

Increased tick bite risk weighs into the equation also.

Many families have opted not to travel for the last couple of years, and have set out to enjoy time together in alternative settings, such as the great outdoors. More time out in nature leads to better odds of getting a tick bite, thereby increasing the odds of contracting tick-borne illnesses.

Lest we forget the “great imitator.”

Lyme infection can imitate other illnesses. If we a little sick, we might chalk it up to the common cold. If we feel really sick, we might believe we have the flu. Lyme is not always a front-and-center consideration, because we can have a tick attached for days without even knowing it. And while many Lyme sufferers get the bull’s eye rash, an estimated 20 to 40% of patients never get a rash at all. People, who have Lyme disease, might not know it for years.

Lyme prevention is the answer.

tick tubes for Lyme diseas prevention As with COVID-19, we must take preventive measures in order to lower our chances of contracting Lyme disease. Unlike COVID-19, there is no Lyme vaccine for humans. Our prevention methods rely on tick bite prevention. The most important elements of prevention are personal tick protection and professional tick control. Contrary to popular belief, ticks can still bite in the fall and winter. Therefore, we must enlist tick control around our homes all year long. That means barrier tick treatment spray in the spring, summer and fall; and tick tubes in the late fall through winter.

Also read: COVID-19 Long Haulers Shine a Light On Chronic Lyme

Do ticks bite in the fall?

Can you get a tick bite in October? November?

Do ticks bite in the fall? As you might know, ticks are not yet ready to go into their cold-weather dormancy. You can be bitten by a tick in October and November. You can even get a tick bite beyond the fall season. Ticks can quest any time of year, weather permitting. Typically, adult ticks will retreat to their winter hideaways when temperatures are consistently below 45°F. However, it is not unheard of for a tick to be found out and about on a warm winter’s day. It is rare, but possible to receive a tick bite in the winter, even in Central Mass.

Which ticks bite in the fall?

Adult deer ticks are at peak activity in the fall. Larval ticks will molt during the fall and winter, and emerge as nymphs in the springtime. Nymph ticks will grow into adults over the winter, emerging to feed and mate in the spring. If you are spending time outdoors in October and November, you should still be performing tick checks.

You can control ticks in the fall and winter too.

fall and winter tick control There is no reason to stop your tick control efforts with the change of season. There are a lot of reasons that you should never halt tick control around your home and property. To name a few: Lyme disease, Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Powassan disease, Tularemia.

Reputable tick control companies offer year-round tick control via tick tubes. Tick tubes are unlikely heroes in the fight against rising tick populations. By treating your property for ticks through the fall and winter, you are essentially interrupting the entire tick life cycle. Treated cotton that originates in the tick tubes will be carried by ground rodents to their nests, where ticks can come in contact with it. This tick treatment will eliminate any tick species in any phase of its life – ensuring that the number of ticks that emerge around your home in the springtime are less than they would otherwise have been.

There is no reason to avoid going outdoors in the beautiful fall weather. Be sure that your yard is protected from the threat of ticks all year long, and do not skip the tick check process when you come back inside.

Why should you continue tick control through the winter?

You should not halt your tick control, even if you are a snowbird.

Winters are cold here in the Northeast. However, they are not as cold as they used to be. This type of climate change has resulted in an explosion in tick populations in our area. Many of our residents, who are retired or are digital nomads, head to Florida or Arizona in the winter. If you go in search of a warmer climate for a few months each year, you will probably cancel cable and Internet services. You will have your mail forwarded to your sunny locale. You will hit pause on your newspaper deliveries. However…

Litchfield tick control for winter — Even snowbirds need tick control in the winter

Litchfield tick control is an essential winter non-activity.

The great thing about professional Litchfield tick control in the winter, is you needn’t lift a finger. You don’t even have to be at home. You see, unlike warm weather tick control, the winter variety is set in motion in the fall, and continues working through the cold season – and no one’s the wiser, especially not ticks.

Fly the coop from November through April, knowing that your property is protected. Ticks do not seek warmth by traveling to a more temperate locale. They simply bed down right at home – on you property. Beneath leaf litter and even beneath the snow, these ticks will patiently wait for springtime to take their next blood meal or to lay their fertilized eggs.

How does wintertime tick protection work?

Tick tubes are the answer to springtime tick emergence. Ticks live among grout mammals, like mice. By having professional tick tubes placed in potential tick hot spots around your property in the fall, those mice will do the work. Biodegradable tick tubes are filled with warm and cozy treated cotton, which mice love to carry back to their nests. In doing so, the tick treatment solution gets onto their skin and fur. Don’t fret – it will not harm these woodland critters. It is lethal for ticks, though. Not only will ticks potentially come in contact with the mice, but also their cozy lairs. Their winter hideaways become tick elimination dens. This process is essential in controlling the number of ticks that come up for warm air in the spring. This means that when you are arriving home in the spring, you will encounter fewer ticks around your home. In April, you can begin your regular barrier protection sprays again.

Year-round Litchfield tick control is essential even if you are not year-round residents. Ticks not only carry harmful human diseases, but they can make our pets sick too. Lyme disease can be spread to both humans and dogs, and other illnesses, like Babesiosis can cause our dog become severely anemic.