Tick Borne Diseases to Rise..

Information copied from…

http://www.imperfectparent.com/topics/2011/05/07/tick-borne-diseases-expected-to-be-up-in-2011/

With spring finally deciding to arrive this year, most people are especially eager to spend more time outdoors. But with the mild temperatures brings ticks and this year is expected to be another bad year for tick borne diseases.

Lyme disease, which had 30,000 confirmed cases in 2009, has been on a steady increase since 2006, with the Midwest and the North East being hit the worst. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Lyme disease is known for it’s classic “bullseye” shaped rash at the tick site. A vaccine used to be available, however, accourding to the CDC: “Lyme disease vaccine is no longer available. The vaccine manufacturer discontinued production in 2002, citing insufficient consumer demand. Protection provided by this vaccine diminishes over time. Therefore, if you received the Lyme disease vaccine before 2002, you are probably no longer protected against Lyme disease.”

Babesiosis is caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells and are spread by certain ticks, namely deer ticks, but unlike Lyme disease, there is no bull’s-eye rash to identify it. It is refered to as the American form of Malaria. Although many people don’t have symptoms, Jacqueline Moore of New York certainly did. In an interview with CBS she said, “It was horrible. At home, it just started out with just lots of aches, and the fevers were terrible, exhaustion. Everyday, I would literally wake up twice as tired as I was the day before, and then, in the hospital, the headaches were severe.”

In 2010 there was a jump in human anaplasmosis, which is also spread by the deer tick, or black-legged tick. In Minnesota there were 720 confirmed cases, more than double the norm. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, almost a third of the patients were hospitalized, and one died. Typical symptoms include: fever, headache, chills, and muscle aches. Usually, these symptoms occur within 1-2 weeks of a tick bite.

These diseases are certainly preventable. Some recommendations to reduce your exposure to tick bites are:

-Use 30% DEET insect repelent on your clothing. The product label includes details about how and where to apply the repellent, how often to reapply it, and how to use it safely on children.

-When walking in wooded areas wear socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck your pant legs into your socks, so ticks cannot crawl up the inside of the pants. Wear light-colored clothing, to make it easier to see and remove ticks before they attach to skin.

-Walk on cleared trails and stay in the center of the trail, to minimize contact with leaf litter, brush, and overgrown grasses.

-If you have indoor/outdoor pets, make sure to treat them with a flea and tick spray or a medication from your vet like Avantix.

Additional steps to take are to conduct daily tick checks and promptly remove any ticks that are found. Deer ticks can be as small as a poppy seed and can easily be overlooked. Also, take a shower within 2 hours of being outside to wash off any ticks that haven’t latched on. If you do find a tick that is attached, write it down on your calender and note any symptoms you have in the following weeks.

http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/wellness/121389419.html

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/04/15/tick-borne-disease-babesiosis-spreads-in-hudson-valley/

Photo via CDC

Weekly Focus: Local Products

This weeks focus is on products that are made in the surrounding area or made by individuals rather then big companies. Several of these are made right here in the area of Polk/Landrum…

• Raw Honey (Columbus)
• Blue Bird Houses (Landrum)
• Old Mule BBQ Sauce (Sunny View)
• Nicker Doodles Horse Doodles (Landrum)
• Eggs (Mill Spring)
• Equitea (Tryon Equine Hospital, Columbus)
• Maple Syrup (Vermont)
• Miracle Saddle Soap (Michigan, formerly Polk County)

Come in and see the selection of locally made products. There’s nothing like real Vermont maply syrup on your stack of flapjacks on Saturday morning! (or evening)

Pennfield & Kentuck Equine Research

We will be hosting a meeting with Pennfield Feeds and Kentucky Equine Research on June 23rd. The meeting will begin at 6pm and will take place at the FENCE House. There will be refreshments to go along with the question & answer and topics of discussion.

Everyone is invited and encouraged to bring friends/family along to learn more about the topic of feeding horses!