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Tina Sawyer: As the spring temperatures emerge here in Michigan so do ticks. And some Michigan health officials are reporting that cases of Lyme disease are already showing up.
I recently spoke with Jody Sroka from a local public health department covering parts of northwest Michigan, otherwise known as DHD 10 (District Health Department #10), talk about the up tick in cases and what you can do to stay safe.
Jody Sroka: I can tell you, I know here personally at DHD 10, when I did kind of pull some of the numbers from the prior year, we report on fiscal year, so which starts in October and goes to September. Our rates of reported Lyme disease are up 75% from last year. So we've already had, since October, we've had 30 reported cases with 19 of them have been confirmed. And like I said, we are already seeing cases being reported this spring.
TS: Can you kind of give us an explanation? Why is that?
JS: Lyme disease and the Anaplasmosis are both tick-borne infections. Basically, that the tick season is getting longer. And some of that, you know, the rationalizing is because the summers are a little bit longer and the winters are milder than they were. And, you know, ticks typically start emerging when the weather hits 40s. I know personally here in Mason County, where I am located and within our district, they're, they're kind of stuck. sticking around because we're not having those cold, deep freeze winters. So they're kind of like re-emerging a little sooner than they have historically.
TS: Let's talk about the ticks, the black-legged ticks. Are they the only ones that are carrying the Lyme disease bacteria or Anaplasmosis?
JS: They're the biggest offenders, especially for our region.
TS: Are there other types of ticks in Michigan that may cause illness?
JS: There are. I mean, we just see a lot of the black-legged ticks, or they're called deer ticks. That's the most common in our area for the Midwest.
TS: So Jody, what are the signs that someone may have a tick bite as opposed to fleas or other bugs?
JS: If you don't see the tick right away, you can start with like a fever, fatigue, headache, skin rash, if it's undetected after several days, it becomes like a bullseye. And that's kind of like the trademark or hallmark sign. It's like a bullseye.
TS: Then how long before people will show these signs after being bit?
JS: It's usually like anywhere from seven to 21 days. It can develop into, you know, out into your joints, into the heart. And usually if you can get the tick off of you before it's engorged, it's usually 24 to 36 hours. You want to get them off as soon as you can.
TS: Yeah. With climate change being cited as one factor for seeing a rise in ticks in Michigan and those disease numbers also rising in correlation with that, what kinds of discussion that maybe you know of is there in the science community for future treatments with people who may have contracted the Lyme disease? Is there any talk around the science hub?
JS: Not that I am aware of. Currently there is no vaccine for Lyme disease. There's no vaccine for pets for Lyme disease at this point. If you are on bit with the chick, you can go see your primary cure, can be treated with 10 to 21 day course of antibiotics. Usually it's doxycycline. But again, they really continue to push early, diagnosis and treatment, and then, as always, prevention, being aware of where you're going, what you're doing, checking yourself, and just taking those proactive steps.
To see what the ticks look like and to learn more, you can log onto the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services website.
