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Battle vs. Lyme disease intensifies
Wall's Pat Smith instrumental in getting research center opened at Columbia University
Dan Zomack
Star News Group
Wall Township, NJ
May 3, 2007
Due in part to the tireless efforts of a township resident, a research center for Lyme Disease was officially opened Monday at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.
With the weather beginning to get warmer and the hot summer months not far off, ticks — which carry the disease — will be coming out in full force, infecting thousands of people with the debilitating disease.
Unfortunately, the public is not educated enough about the disease, Pat Smith, 61, president of the national Lyme Disease Association said. In an effort to properly educate the public, but also to test and provide cutting-edge research for Lyme Disease, her organization recently sought to raise enough money to open a research center at Columbia to study the disease and search for a cure.
That dream was realized this week when, on Monday, there was a special ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of the Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center at Columbia University.
The New Jersey-based LDA and Connecticut-based Time For Lyme [TFL], which are affiliated organizations, partnered with Columbia in the development of this center concept and devoted a large percentage of their efforts and resources in the past five years to funding the endowment for the center. People nationwide contributed to make the center a reality, Mrs. Smith said.
It is during the late spring through the end of the summer months that most cases of human illness from Lyme Disease occur, when the tiny nymphs are most active and human outdoor activity is greatest.
There are nearly four times as many reported cases of human infection during those months as compared to any other time of the year, Mrs. Smith said.
Ticks search for host animals while waiting on the tips of grass and shrubs and transfer to animals or persons who brush against the vegetation. Ticks usually attach themselves in areas that are more hidden or hairy on the human body, such as the groin, armpits and scalp.
In the northeastern and north central United States, the blacklegged tick, or deer tick, transmits Lyme Disease.
Mrs. Smith, who is a former president of the Wall Board of Education, said, "When I started 20 years ago [doing advocate work on Lyme Disease], the deer tick wasn't in that many places, and it's everywhere now in the country."
Mrs. Smith originally got into advocacy work with Lyme Disease when she worked on the Wall Board of Education. She said at that time, there were many students and teachers in the district being diagnosed with the disease, but there was not much information available on the disease.
The disease also hit home for Mrs. Smith, who has three daughters — two of whom contracted Lyme Disease when they were children.
Her youngest daughter, who is now 29, was originally diagnosed with the disease when she was a student at the Intermediate School in Wall.
Her daughter missed four years of school due to the disease, and was able to attend school for only three hours per day during her junior and senior years of high school. She had to be home schooled during the time she was not well enough to attend.
Even today, 18 years after she was diagnosed, her daughter still suffers from the debilitating effects of the disease.
Mrs. Smith said, "It was hard to determine exactly when [her daughters were bitten] because we used to pick ticks off them all the time."
The Smith's lived in a heavily wooded area of Wall Township and it was not uncommon for her daughters to come home with multiple ticks on them.
Her 29 year-old daughter was bitten at least twice prior to being diagnosed with Lyme's.
"We didn't know the symptoms in the 1980s," Mrs. Smith admitted, which is one of the primary reasons she is adamant about educating the public about the symptoms of Lyme Disease, so that people can get treated as soon as possible.
After returning to high school, where she excelled, her daughter was admitted into Johns Hopkins University.
"I can still remember the day she got into Johns Hopkins and it was like, `Wow! She really beat this disease,'" Mrs. Smith said.
Today, her daughter is an editor at a successful medical journal which Mrs. Smith believes is a testament to properly treating the disease.
Mrs. Smith eventually started the Lyme Disease Association in New Jersey, a nonprofit, volunteer group, but soon after decided it needed to be a national organization, to properly educate the public about Lyme Disease.
Her group was approached by the TFL to develop a program that could provide education and research into Lyme Disease on a much more grand scale, to really make a difference and to be able to provide research into chronic Lyme Disease.
Currently, testing for Lyme is only between 40 and 60 percent accurate, according to Mrs. Smith, and this is one of the primary reasons for developing the research center at Columbia University.
Over the course of five years, the LDA was able to raise $3 million, which was the endowment amount needed to open the foundation at the university medical center.
This center will serve as a national resource, providing pilot grants to researchers nationwide and focusing the latest scientific technology on helping to resolve the problems of chronic Lyme Disease.
Mrs. Smith acknowledged that without the public support, the research center could never have become a reality.
"New Jersey is third in the nation in [Lyme Disease] case numbers, yet there is very little awareness in the state," Mrs. Smith said.
With tick populations increasing every year, Mrs. Smith believes everyone needs to be properly educated as to the symptoms and effects of the disease.
Mrs. Smith said Lyme Disease is often referred to as "the great imitator," because its symptoms could be universal to just about any sickness, disorder or disease, including Attention Deficit Disorder [ADD] and autism. Children who have been bitten by a tick have been misdiagnosed with ADD and autism in the past, and treatment for Lyme Disease was delayed, thus the urgent need for a better diagnosis system, Mrs. Smith said.
"It's a very difficult disease," Mrs Smith said, pointing out the age group of people most often diagnosed with the disease are children between 5-9.
The Center for Disease Control [CDC] reports that in 2005, 23,305 cases of Lyme Disease were reported in the United States, yielding a national average of 7.9 cases for every 100,000 persons.
According to the CDC, patients treated with antibiotics in the early stages of the infection usually recover rapidly and completely. A few patients, particularly those diagnosed with later stages of disease, may have persistent or recurrent symptoms. Longer courses of antibiotic treatment have not been shown to be beneficial and have been linked to serious complications, including death.
One of the main problems with Lyme Disease is that there are too many misconceptions about it, Mrs. Smith said.
Like many people who are diagnosed, her daughter had vague symptoms such as fatigue and muscle aches, which were not easily recognizable as Lyme Disease at first.
"She didn't get diagnosed for a long time after she was bit," Mrs. Smith stated.
Though her daughter still suffers from bouts of fatigue related to the disease, other effects can include memory loss, speech problems, light sensitivity, chronic fatigue and muscle, bone and nerve pain.
Mrs. Smith could not stress her point enough: only through education and research can someone make a positive change in the fight against Lyme Disease. She will continue to seek grants and donations to fund the battle and will continue trying to educate the nation about the disease.
Her hope now is that the scientists, doctors and researchers at Columbia will be able to use their knowledge and skill to one day eradicate Lyme Disease
Courtesy: www.lymeinfo.net
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It’s Spring and Lyme Disease Season- Time for Tick Awareness
News Release
The Governor’s Lyme Disease Advisory Council Offers “Tick-Tips”Lyme disease is the most widely reported infectious disease in New Jersey. Between 1990 and 2002, the cumulative number of cases of Lyme disease reported in New Jersey has exceeded 21,000, with half being reported over the last five years. Preliminary statistics for 2003 indicate that more than 2,400 cases have been reported to NJDHSS thus far.
Lyme disease is a bacterial disease transmitted to humans via the bite of an infected deer tick. If detected at an early stage, Lyme disease can be treated successfully with appropriate antibiotic therapy. If untreated, Lyme disease can progress to more debilitating symptoms involving the heart, nervous system and other organs, requiring more intensive treatment.
Lyme disease can produce many varied symptoms, which may include a flu-like illness with achy joints, muscle pain and headache. A bull’s eye shaped rash is often seen at the site of the bite.
In order to prevent infection, it is critical to be aware of where ticks are typically found as well as simple safety precautions to prevent infection.
In nature, the Lyme disease bacteria exist in a life cycle involving ticks, small animals and deer. Deer ticks prefer to live in the woods; dense, mature woods with leaf litter, a thick undergrowth of shrubs and small trees are their favorite habitats. They are also found, to a lesser degree, along the edge of woods where it may meet the lawn of your property. Immature ticks (most active spring and early summer) are typically found low to the ground whereas adult ticks (most active fall and early winter) can crawl on low-lying vegetation and shrubs. They are spread in the wild by animals such as birds, mice, raccoons and deer, but domestic animals such as cats, dogs, horses and cows can also carry infected ticks closer to, and even into the home. When mice become infected, they remain so for long periods without apparent ill effects; however, they spread the infection to immature ticks that feed on them. These infected ticks can then spread the disease to other rodents and animals as well as to humans.
Adult ticks prefer to feed on larger animals, especially deer. Deer are resistant to Lyme infection, but are an important source of blood meals for adult ticks. More than 20 species of birds are known to be infected and have been theorized to transport the ticks over great distances, resulting in the spread to previously unaffected areas.
The Governor’s Lyme Disease Advisory Council recommends a few simple precautions to prevent Lyme disease. If you spend time in areas where ticks may be found, take these steps:
Avoid wooded areas with dense shrubs and leaf litter, where ticks like to hide.
Make your yard less attractive to ticks: mow lawns and prune trees.
Wear solid, light colored clothing with pants tucked into socks. This will help prevent a tick from attaching to your skin and will also make sighting a tick on clothing easier.
Use insect repellents on yourself and your pets. Two types of repellents that are effective for ticks are those containing DEET for use on clothes and exposed skin, and permethrin for use on clothes only. Read label directions carefully.
Examine yourself frequently for ticks while in tick-infested areas.
Perform a full-body exam on yourself, children, and pets after leaving tick habitat.
Remove attached ticks promptly.
Use fine-pointed tweezers.
Grasp the tick's mouth parts close to the skin.
Apply steady outward pressure.
Wash the area with soap and water.
Do not use petroleum jelly, noxious chemicals, or hot objects to remove ticks. Improper removal can increase the chances of infection.
If you find and remove a tick, document the date and watch for bull’s eye rash, red with a clearing in the center that may follow infection. The rash is usually painless and may be in the places not usually inspected such as the crease behind the knees and buttocks. Watch for flu-like symptoms. If you suspect infection, seek medical help promptly.
Resources:
http://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/f_lyme.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/index.htm
New Jersey Lyme Disease Hotline1-800-792-8831
http://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/gldacpr.htm
Rep. Smith Introduces Bill to Combat Skyrocketing Lyme Disease Cases
PRNewswire/USNewswire
Washington, D.C.
February 6, 2007
In an effort to address the escalating number of Lyme disease cases in New Jersey and across the nation, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) announced today that he has introduced bipartisan legislation to authorize a $100 million, five-year plan to dramatically expand Lyme disease research and education.
Smith's bill -- the "Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2007" (H.R. 741) -- would improve tests used to diagnose Lyme disease, enhance the public health surveillance systems and improve our public education campaign to prevent new cases of Lyme disease. It also would create an advisory committee on Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.
"The number of reported Lyme disease cases in New Jersey has skyrocketed in recent years. Our state currently ranks third in the nation in the number of reported cases, trailing only our regional neighbors, New York and Pennsylvania. We must increase our investment in understanding and combating Lyme disease before these numbers reach epidemic proportions," said Smith.
In 2005, the number of reported cases of Lyme disease climbed to a record high of 3,372 in New Jersey and approximately 22,000 nationally. Since only 10% of cases are actually reported, approximately 220,000 Americans developed Lyme disease in 2005 (the most current numbers available).
"The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) admits that if more accurate diagnosis and reporting procedures were in place, their own data would peg the actual number of cases in New Jersey at over 30,000 in 2005. Improving testing and surveillance should lead us to a more accurate reflection of the extent of the outbreak in our state and across the nation," said Smith.
Symptoms of Lyme disease may include fever, headache, fatigue, andsometimes a rash, which may be an expanding bull's eye shape. If not diagnosed and treated early, Lyme disease can lead to chronic illness and can affect every system in the body, including the central nervous system and cardiac systems. Due to the debilitating affects of Lyme, many patients lose their jobs and must apply for disability.
A long-time advocate of Lyme disease research and prevention funding, Smith has introduced legislation aimed at increasing Lyme disease research and awareness in previous sessions of Congress. Last July, Smith convened a Lyme disease summit, bringing together the national director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Julie Gerberding, other lawmakers, doctors and activists to discuss ways patient and physician needs could be better met.
The "Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2007" (H.R. 741) is the first legislation in the 110th Congress to specifically address Lyme disease. Thirteen members of the House signed on as original cosponsors, four Republicans and nine Democrats.
"As the numbers show, the Lyme disease outbreak is only going to get worse the longer we wait to address it. I will continue to vigorously work with my colleagues in Congress to secure passage of this important bill to enhance our ability to treat this debilitating disease and begin to reverse the trend of record Lyme disease cases," said Smith.
For additional information on Lyme disease, please visit http://www.LymeDiseaseAssociation.org
For additional information about Representative Chris Smith and his commitment to the people of New Jersey, please visit http://www.house.gov/chrissmith/
Contact: Patrick Creamer, 202-225-3765
SOURCE Office of Rep. Chris Smith
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© 2006 The National Lyme Disease Memorial Park Project
