“Dogs really are the canary in the coal mine for human infection,” study co-author Michael Yabsley, PhD, a parasitologist at the University of Georgia, told Medical Xpress. “Our research team has evidence that the relationship between canine disease and human disease is strong.”
Those who live in the Northeast know that it’s tick season. However, reports are showing that those all over the U.S. should be taking the proper precautions to protect themselves, their families, children, and their pets from ticks and the potentially harmful disease they carry.
Some ticks, especially deer ticks, are known to carry Borrelia burgdorferi, which is the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
Lyme disease could cause fatigue, low fever, headache, achy muscles or joints in some cause, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, in severe cases, or cases where it is left untreated or undetected, Lyme disease can have serious consequences on the body include problems with the heart, nervous system, cognitive dysfunction, joint swelling, speech, mobility, and muscles.
Source:
Centers for Disease Control
Ticks can also carry other harmful diseases besides Lyme disease. Most tick-borne illness can be treated effectively with antibiotics, however, serious cases can have long-term effects even with antibiotic treatment.
If you’ve been bitten by a tick you’ll likely see a rash that looks like a bullseye at the sight of the bite and can start feeling the symptoms listed above, the CDC reports.
Recent studies have shown that Lyme disease is showing up all over the country. Here is a map showing the prevalences of B.
Here is a map showing the prevalences of the B. burgdorferi antibody in domestic dogs on average by state between 2011 and 2015 based on PLOS ONE:
Source:
PLOS
As one might suspect, the Northeast is definitely a hotspot for ticks that carry illnesses. However, they’re also showing up more in the Midwest states like Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and Michigan.
Though the study was done on dogs, researchers say the study is still a good indication of how Lyme disease would affect humans.
Here is a map of the same stats broken down by county:
Source:
PLOS
There are measures you can take to protect yourself, the kids, your pets and your lawn from being overrun by ticks this season without having to completely avoid the beautiful outdoors.
You can read up on them as well as find out just about everything else you need to know about ticks and Lyme Disease on the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/lyme.
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By D.G. Sciortino
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D.G. is a contributing writer in Shareably. She's based in Connecticut and can be reached at [email protected].