02-05 Lyme

Lyme disease is a tick-borne, bacterial disease that causes emotional and physical debilitation. It can lead to arthritis, heart disease and a number of other health conditions.
This disease was first discovered in the US and is now well established in Europe, Asia and Australia.
According to reports, this disease is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are like so many other diseases. One doctor called Lyme disease, the “great imitator”. The global number of Lyme disease victims is in the order of 300,000.
The more important issue is the growing projections for this disease as the climate warms. The ticks that carry the bacteria live longer and reproduce in larger numbers as the climate warms.
Scientists claim a rough measure of climate change is the spread of Lyme disease. Climate change and tick population change run on parallel paths.
And a good place to get bitten by the nasty ticks is hunting, camping and hiking in the wild.
Another part of this story is the spread of Lyme disease amongst the moose population in the US. Apparently more moose die from the disease than from hunters. The calves are especially vulnerable.
The bad news is that antibiotics are only effective in the early stages of the disease. The bacteria can be inside parasites in the human body, and antibiotics do not kill parasites.
Part of this story that I love is that Lyme disease is named after the town of Old Lyme in Connecticut where it was first discovered.