Community Corner

Is Windsor at Risk for Lyme Disease?

Lyme Disease affects more than 30,000 people in the US annually. Find out what you need to know to protect yourself.

The original version of this story was written by Heather Martino.

Good news, Connecticut! Lyme disease was down by 352 cases in 2012. 

There were 1,654 confirmed people infected with Lyme disease across Connecticut last year, statistics obtained by Patch show. That’s down from 2,006 in 2011, according to the latest figures released by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

A significant number of Connecticut's probable and confirmed 2012 cases, a total of 1,435, could not be plotted on the above map, because they were categorized to an "unknown county."

According to William Gerrish, Office of Communications at Department of Public Health, this is because the positive case reports the health departments received did not include the patient's address. 

“The patients with unknown town/county are primarily those that had a positive test result – however, their physicians did not provide the patients’ addresses when asked to fill out the supplemental case report form we send to collect the information," he said. "We are working to correct this by getting addresses electronically from the two commercial laboratories that provide us with positive test results. We hope to be able to update the 2012 data and then minimize the problem for 2013."

Lyme disease affects more than 30,000 people in the US each year and is the leading disease transmitted through bug bites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

How to Protect Yourself

Named for the town of Old Lyme in Connecticut where it was first discovered in 1975, Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that occurs when an infected blacklegged tick, also known as a deer tick, attaches to and bites a host, passing along the bacteria.

Thirteen states in the Northeast and Midwest reported 96% of all cases of Lyme disease in 2011. That’s because blacklegged ticks only live in those parts of the county, the CDC said. The ticks are most commonly found in moist, wooded areas because they’re susceptible to drying out, said Elizabeth Schiffman, a Minnesota Department of Health epidemiologist.

Dr. Pritish Tosh of the Mayo Clinic recommends “checking [for] and removing ticks after outdoor activities, wearing protective clothing and using insect repellent.” A tick must be removed within 36-48 hours in order to prevent the transmission of bacteria. 

The CDC recommends using fine-tipped tweezers to remove the tick, and experts said to contact your doctor if you develop signs of infection such as:

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  • Red, expanding bulls-eye rash
  • Headaches
  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle and joint aches
  • Swollen lymph nodes

If you develop any of these symptoms, consult your doctor immediately, because the disease can be frustratingly difficult to nail down. Lyme Disease survivor Katina Makris told Patch she was misdiagnosed for five years.

“I called it my full life tsunami,” she said.

Then 42, Makris was bedridden with flu-like symptoms. She said that as a result, her marriage crumbled, she lost her job and then had to sell her house to pay for medical bills. 

And while researchers work to develop a vaccine, there is not currently one available, so it’s important to stay safe. Follow these handy prevention tips from the CDC:

  • Avoid moist, humid environments and leafy areas where ticks like to live
  • Repel ticks with bug sprays, like DEET or Permethrin
  • Check your family and pets for ticks on a daily basis
  • Be alert for fever or rash, even if you don’t remember being bitten by a tick
  • Limit pets’ access to tick-infested areas, and use tick collars or spot treatment
  • Create tick-safe zones in your yard by raking up leaves, using a bug spray and discouraging deer

The upside is that the cure is very effective. Those who contract Lyme disease will typically be given the antibiotic doxycycline, which should clear up the disease in a few days to a few week, Schiffman said.

“Lyme disease is actually a very treatable condition,” she said.

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