|
|
 |
TEXAS LYME FACTS
|
- Lyme disease has surpassed AIDS as one of the fastest growing infectious epidemics in our nation, with a cost to society measured in the billions of dollars.
- Lyme disease is the most common vector borne disease in the state.
- Lyme disease is endemic in Texas and physicians need to be familiar with it.
- In Texas, there are 11 public health regions. Patients with Lyme disease reside in every public health region in Texas.
- Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease has been detected in Texas ticks.
- Epidemiological evidence suggests Amblyomma americanum, the "Lone Star" tick, is the vector of Lyme disease in Texas. This is an aggressive species that will feed on a variety of hosts including humans. In a Texas Department of Health study conducted in 1990 and 1991, A. americanum ticks were gathered from nine Texas areas. Of the over 28,000 ticks collected, 26,901 or 95% were A. americanum. Visitors to any area with high vegetation are at considerable risk of being bitten by lone star ticks and are at risk of acquiring Lyme disease.
- There are four reportable tick-borne illnesses in Texas: ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, rocky mountain spotted fever and tick-borne relapsing fever. Patients in Texas have also been diagnosed with babesiosis, a malaria-like, tick-borne illness with recurring fevers.
- Failure to report is a Class B misdemeanor under the Texas Health and Safety Code, Section 81.049, but this provision is rarely, if ever, enforced.
- Texas is a passive surveillance state; and it is likely that there is considerable underreporting of tick-borne illnesses.
- Lyme disease is not a simple, rare illness that is easy to avoid, difficult to acquire, simple to diagnose and easily treated and cured.
- It is best to rely on exposure history and compatible signs and symptoms for the diagnosis of Lyme disease.
- The longer the time between tick bite infected with Borrelia burgdorferi and diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease, the more likely the illness will be serious and increaser the cost of treatment.
- May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
- Many doctors in Texas believe Lyme disease is not endemic in Texas; patients are often told by doctors in Texas that there is no Lyme disease in Texas.
- Many patients must go out of state to get diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
- Tick-borne illnesses can be extremely debilitating and even deadly.
- Physicians and the public need to be educated about tick-borne illnesses.
|
NOTE: The information on this page is for educational purposes only.
Texas Lyme Disease Association cannot diagnose you or tell you how to treat your illnesses. We are not doctors, we are just a group of people sharing the information as it relates to our own personal experiences. We wish you all well.
Shop at Our New CAFEPRESS STORE for Lyme Awareness Gear!
Keep Checking back for new stuff!
|
|
|
|
