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Lyme disease
Liza Roche, Staff WriterJuly 26, 2007
Although mosquito-borne West Nile virus has caught a lot of attention in recent years, north suburban biologists and health workers caution that another health danger lurks in some of the region's less urbanized areas.
Deer ticks, tiny back-legged bugs that jump on deer to move around, are living in parts of Cook, DuPage and Lake counties. Deer ticks can carry Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that can cause serious illness in humans if untreated. And with the increased presence of the tiny creatures here, Lyme disease incidents have started to increase as well.
The U.S. Government Centers for Disease Control reports that in 1993, just 19 cases of Lyme Disease were reported in Illinois. That figure has steadily grown to 35 cases in 2000, 110 cases in 2006 and is expected to rise again, health experts said.
In North America, more than 20,000 new cases have been reported annually in the last few years, especially in the northeastt, mid-Atlantic and north-central states, said American College of Emergency Physiciasnd president Brian Keaton, M.D.
"That is why we advise members of the public to educate themselves about Lyme disease, take measures to protect against tick bites before going out in tick-infested areas and seek prompt medical treatment if symptoms of Lyme disease develop," he said.
The Cook County Department of Public Health (not including Chicago, Evanston or Skokie) reported 27 cases in 2006 and three cases to date in 2007, said spokeswoman Kathryn Loewy.
Evanston's health department, which reported no cases in 2006 or 2007, has typically had a few cases per year in the past, said director Jay Terry. In Skokie, three cases were reported in both 2005 and 2006, although no cases have been reported this year. One case has been reported so far his year in Oak Park. No cases were reported there in 2006, but six cases were reported in Oak Park in 2005.
In the Chicago region, a handful of cases have already been identified this year, said Linn Haramis, an entomologist with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Lyme disease can produce a variety of symptoms, ranging from an initial, bull's-eye-type rash to loss of muscle tone in the face, severe headaches and arthritic-like pain.
Researchers say the public should be aware of the risks associated with taking a walk in the woods, but stress the message isn't to stay away all together.
Jeff Nelson, a doctor who has studied Lyme disease and teaches biology at North Park University on Chicago's Northwest side, has a few theories about why deer ticks seem to have increased in northeastern Illinois.
One involves the changing climate, he said.
Winters here are milder now, making it easier for ticks to thrive.
"Anytime the temperature is over 40 degrees, they're out," Nelson said.
Nelson said that in a forested area near the Park Ridge-Rosemont border, as well as in places in Lake County, about one-third of deer ticks found are infected with Lyme disease.
That's not as high an infection rate as in some parts of Wisconsin or the East Coast, but it does signal a necessary shift in thinking for people who spend time in more forested areas within the region, he said.
Experts say awareness is key. When spending time in wooded areas -- especially in areas along the Des Plaines River valley -- people should check themselves for ticks, which in the nymph stage, can be as small as a poppy seed. The chance of developing Lyme disease can be greatly reduced if ticks are removed within 24 hours, Nelson said.
Lyme disease research goes unfunded in Illinois, and for several years has been financed through an unofficial committee involving researchers like Nelson, as well as workers in the Illinois Department of Public Health, county health departments and forest preserve districts.
The Illinois Department of Public Health believes that about two dozen Illinois counties have established deer tick populations, meaning that at least six ticks (often many more) are found or ticks from two different life stages are discovered.
Lake County
Mike Adam, a senior biologist for Lake County, said so far, deer ticks have largely been found in the eastern half of the county.
No comprehensive survey for the county is planned, he said, but county workers are looking for the deer ticks in good habitats, namely heavily forested areas with old leaves resting on the floor, or in areas where ticks have been reported by residents.
Lake County began looking for ticks just this year, he said, following two reports of Lyme disease in late 2006.
Adam said he didn't quite know what to expect when they started looking, "but on the very first day we were out, it was very clear, they're here.
"They're still rare, but they're here," he said.
Evanston-Review.com
© 2006 The National Lyme Disease Memorial Park Project
