Lyme Disease Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

A Health Alert On Ticks

There are a few reasons you may be seeing more ticks. And part of that is global warming. The fact that we’ve been going into more natural areas. The human population is expanding. So, we’re going to encounter more wildlife. Also, we’ve seen an increase in tick presence in general in this state and believe that more tick borne diseases are coming this way. And every year, we see higher numbers of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

Warm weather sends people outside. But while you’re out, enjoying nature, ticks are waiting for a chance to take a bite.

Bill Lynch spoke with regional epidemiologist Daniel Barker-Gumm and Dr. Steven Eshenaur, the health officer for the Kanawha County Health Department about the growing tick population and what to do if you find a tick latched to your body.

Lynch: So we’re talking about ticks. The reason I’m interested in ticks is the first time I cut my grass, I pulled three off me. It got me thinking about ticks and worrying about ticks. Someone talked to me about ticks.

Barker-Gumm: There are a few reasons you may be seeing more ticks. And part of that is global warming. The fact that we’ve been going into more natural areas. The human population is expanding. So, we’re going to encounter more wildlife. Also, we’ve seen an increase in tick presence in general in this state and believe that more tick borne diseases are coming this way. And every year, we see higher numbers of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

Lynch: What kind of wildlife is carrying ticks to toward the human population?

Barker-Gumm: The big one that we’re concerned about is deer, because of the black legged tick or deer tick, as it’s commonly called – carries Lyme disease. Many other mammals can be vectors as well, even some reptiles.

Lynch: You mentioned other diseases besides Lyme disease. What else should we worry about?

Barker-Gumm: Well, we’ve also got other diseases such as ehrlichiosis, babeseiosis, and tularemia. Those are much more rare than Lyme is. But we do expect to see more increases in them. Every year, we get a few more of those.

Lynch: If someone gets a tick, or three, how concerned should you be about Lyme disease or picking up something else?

Barker-Gumm: The good news is that they found that if you can remove a tick within 24 hours, your chance of getting infectious disease from them is very, very small. So if you can detect the tick on you, before it feeds off you, before it takes a blood meal – and you’ll know that too, because they become engorged and they look much different than a tick that hasn’t.

That’s when you maybe want to get concerned if it’s taken a blood meal.

You don’t know how long it’s been on you, and especially if you develop a rash in the region where it fed on you. Then, that may be time to go see a doctor.

Lynch: Lyme disease, how would you even know if you had it.

Eshenaur: So Lyme disease can be detected in a couple of different ways. One is the symptomatology of it. You had a tick, you then developed a rash. And sometimes it looks like a bullseye. So, you can have the rash and then the other symptoms that can come with it. It can be body aches, it can be joint aches, kind of like a flu-like syndrome that you just don’t feel well. It will combine that with the history of a tick bite, and especially if you do have the rash, which not everybody develops the rash, but many do. Then, as a physician, usually, I’m going to go and start them empirically and then do a blood test – and the Lyme disease can be detected through a blood test, definitively.

One other point, if you do have a tick on you and you’re able to get it off within about 48 hours, your physician can also prescribe you a prophylactic dose of doxycycline, that single dose typically prevents Lyme disease from becoming a true infectious disease of the body.

Lynch: Any advice on checking for ticks? Is there? Is there a method to it? Is there a proper way to do it?

Barker-Gumm: I always tell people to look for crevices in your body. Ticks are sometimes really picky about where they want to feed at. So, like under your armpits and your belly button. Sometimes in your groin. They like to find a safe, secure spot where they can feed uninterrupted – also in your scalp, which is another reason I tell people to shower if you just went camping or you’re out in the woods for a while.

We have three major tick species that cause disease in West Virginia. And that’s the deer tick or black-legged tick. We have the eastern dog tick and the lone star tick.

The deer tick can cause Lyme disease and Ehrlichiosis. The lone star tick can also cause Ehrlichiosis, and it can also cause a red meat allergy called alpha-gal syndrome.And the dog tick can cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Lynch: I’ve been hearing more about the alpha-gal syndrome. Can someone talk about that?

Eshenaur: Alpha-gal syndrome usually occurs after someone has had the disease ehrlichiosis, which is commonly transmitted by the lone star tick. Basically, an antibody to the antigen of ehrlichiosis that crosses over to red meats and milk and cheese. So, unfortunately, those patients usually end up having a red meat allergy that many times persists for life.

Lynch: Is there anything you can do for your property to, I guess, reduce ticks?

Barker-Gumm: So, if you cut your grass fairly often and keep it short, usually that keeps the ticks down at least a little bit.

Eshenaur: Another thing we do and we live out in the country. On the farm, in the yard areas, we spray some malathion one evening, typically a couple times in the early in the year – and that really has helped keep the ticks down.

It’s an insecticide, but you spray it on at night or right as it gets dark. It’s broken down by UV light, so it doesn’t hang around long. The next day, the UV light coming from the sky, whether it’s cloudy or not, will break down the malathion, so it has a very safe profile for pets. You keep them out of the yard during that time and then by the next evening, you can’t even tell it’s there. It’s gone.

A Health Alert On Ticks And A Slain Trooper’s Memorial Scholarship, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, Bill Lynch has health experts explaining what you need to know if you’re out in the woods and you find a tick latched to your body.

Also, there’s a scholarship program now underway in honor of fallen West Virginia State Police Sgt. Cory Maynard.

On this West Virginia Morning, Bill Lynch has health experts explaining what you need to know if you’re out in the woods and you find a tick latched to your body.

Also, there’s a scholarship program now underway in honor of fallen West Virginia State Police Sgt. Cory Maynard.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University. Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

State Health Officer: Ticks Persist As A Concern During Fall

Despite the recent drop in temperature, West Virginians are still at risk for tick bites and tick borne illnesses. Reporter Chris Schulz sat down with state health officer Dr. Ayne Amjad to discuss tick safety and prevention.

Earlier this summer, Gov. Jim Justice announced that he was receiving treatment for Lyme disease, heightening attention in the state around tick borne illnesses. And despite the recent drop in temperature, West Virginians are still at risk for tick bites. Reporter Chris Schulz sat down with state health officer Dr. Ayne Amjad to discuss tick safety and prevention.

Schulz: Dr. Amjad, thank you so much for joining me. When we talk about tick borne illnesses, what exactly is it that we’re referring to?

Amjad: There’s a long period when we’re susceptible to ticks, anywhere from March to December, which is pretty much the whole year. But I think on top of that, it’s when patients present with symptoms, which can be 30 days to a couple of months afterwards, which might be why we kind of see this pattern. Is it worse during the spring or the summer? I think that’s part of it.

Lyme disease is more common in our Eastern Panhandle, close to Maryland. Maryland, is also one of the hotspots states that have tick borne illnesses. But if we see anything common, it would probably be Lyme disease, as far as tick borne illnesses go.

Schulz: Why is Lyme disease a particular concern?

Amjad: It’s the long term effects of Lyme disease. If you get bitten by a tick and it’s attached for a long period of time, and not treated with antibiotics appropriately right away, several months, anywhere from one month to three months to six months, a person can have long term effects or Lyme disease. It can cause a sequence of reactions that can affect your health and you know, joint pain. Some people have cardiac problems, chronic fatigue, so they’re just things like that, it can have long lasting effects on someone.

Schulz: Governor Justice had a Lyme disease scare over the summer. Can you tell us how he’s doing now?

Amjad: He’s doing well. I think he was treated appropriately right away with antibiotics. That helps. I think anytime you suspect Lyme disease or see a tick and you remove it, and it was attached longer than 24 hours to get treated right away so that you don’t have those side effects later, a couple of weeks or months later.

Schulz: So what preventions can people take against ticks?

Amjad: You need to put on bug spray when you go outside. A lot of people don’t like the old ones, it has DDT in it or permethrin, but you can get natural ones as well. Definitely stay on trails, try not to go in the shrubs too much. But if you do, always wear a hat because you know, ticks can get into your hair easily. Also get on pets as well, so definitely check your pets when they get back in. But definitely wearing bug screen, wearing light colored clothing helps a little bit better, because then you can see if there’s something sticking on you after you’ve gone out, let’s say for a hike or somewhere where it’s possible that there are ticks and even deer.

You know if you see deer a lot, I would assume there could be ticks around as well. Definitely when you come back in, check your hair, check any areas that the ticks could have been sometimes behind the knees, armpits. They tend to go in little crevices and hide. Take a shower right away. Definitely check your pet. I mean, my pet, my dog has had little ticks on it just by going in a yard that’s not even that brushy.

Schulz: So what if the prevention fails, what then? If someone has a tick bite or finds a tick on them?

Amjad: I would say if you find a tick on you, and you remove it to let your physician know, because your symptoms might show up till three days, seven days one month later, and by then you’ve kind of missed that window for treatment. So most physicians or healthcare providers will say if you saw it removed right away, and it didn’t bite you, you don’t need treatment. Watch for symptoms such as fever, rash, fatigue, almost like flu-like symptoms, but there’s a window of opportunity for treatment. I would recommend any patient who finds a tick on them, just to go ahead and let their healthcare provider know. So say you call back in a few days, or maybe they do want to pretreat or do some blood tests on you, it’s better to know ahead of time than three, five days later.

Schulz: CDC data shows us that visits to emergency departments for tick bites tend to spike at the end of spring, early summer. And then again, right around now at the start of fall. Do you have any idea why that might be?

Amjad: I had not seen that chart that you’re talking about, but if the peaks are towards the end of summer and then beginning of fall, I would think that it’s because whensummer starts more people are going outside. Keep in mind that time, March to December of tick season is really, like I said, it’s the whole year. So it doesn’t make any sense. But I would think that’s why we’re seeing those spikes that you mentioned, because summertime, everyone’s rushing out going out. Maybe it’s not too hot yet or maybe they don’t see bugs so they’re not spraying themselves. Same thing in the fall. We tend to think it’s a little cooler outside, today is cool, maybe I don’t need bug spray. I don’t see bugs, you know, flying on me like I would normally, so they probably don’t do it. I would think that’s why we’re seeing these spikes.

Schulz: Dr. Amjad is there anything else you think the public should know about ticks and tick borne illnesses?

Amjad: No, I just want people to check their pets and I’ll say dogs because I have dogs. We live in a populated area but we still see deer a lot. The grass is not high but the dog sometimes still gets ticks on, in their ears or behind and stuff. So I would just remind people to check their pets too because pets can get sick from it the same way: joint pains and problems later. But I would just remind people to check their furbabies.

Bloodwork Reveals Lyme Disease Diagnosis For Gov. Jim Justice

Lyme disease is the state’s most common tickborne disease with more than 1,000 confirmed cases in 2021.

Updated on Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 9 a.m.

Gov. Jim Justice has been ill for days after contracting lyme disease.

The governor’s office released this information Wednesday evening after blood work results revealed the disease.

Gov. Justice is taking antibiotics to fight the infection. The treatment will last for several weeks.

“I’m feeling better every day,” Gov. Justice said. “I always want to first thank God above for all of our blessings. Additionally, I thank my doctors for all they’ve done, and I appreciate all the West Virginians who have expressed their wishes for my speedy recovery.

“I remind all West Virginians, when you go outdoors, monitor yourself for ticks and use insect repellent to stay safe.”

Original Post:

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health is urging residents to take preventive measures against tickborne diseases.

Lyme disease is the state’s most common tickborne disease with more than 1,000 confirmed cases in 2021.

“We’re seeing increased cases across the country really during the summer months,” said State Health Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad. “So it’s just to raise awareness for people, especially people going outdoors.”

Other tickborne illnesses such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever have been reported in the state, but at far lower rates of about 1-10 cases per year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends checking your clothing and body for ticks, examining gear and pets and showering soon after being outdoors.

Amjad advised that since the symptoms of tickborne illnesses, such as a low-grade fever or aches and pains, can be vague, it’s important to eliminate other causes and provide medical providers with context.

“I would tell anybody who’s having these vague symptoms, and everything basic has been ruled out, we’re ruling out COVID, urine infections, you should tell your doctor, ‘Well, you know, maybe I went hiking or been outside or we do have a lot of deer in our vicinity,’” Amjad said. “And it’s something to keep on the back of the mind of providers really to either look more around the body for any rashes, or to go ahead and … doing bloodwork to diagnose it.

It’s important to save any ticks that may have been involved with a bite which may help medical staff with treatment.

The public notice comes just one day after Gov. Jim Justice revealed during Tuesday’s COVID-19 press conference that a tickborne disease was the likely reason for his illness the previous week.

“I can’t imagine the magnitude of a small little tick that could get on you that could cause a lot of issues and everything,” Justice said. “I would caution everyone, take a tick bite really serious.”

Justice Cancels COVID-19 Briefing, Receiving Treatment For Possible Lyme Disease

In a statement, Gov. Jim Justice announced Wednesday evening he began feeling sick after events on Monday in Wheeling and Blacksville.

“I immediately got tested for COVID-19 and was negative, but I am still having symptoms and nowhere near 100 percent,” Justice said. “As of now, I am being treated for possible Lyme disease.”

The governor postponed his regular COVID-19 briefing for the week and said he will hold one as soon as possible after the Memorial Day holiday.

Justice tested positive for coronavirus in January. He recovered from moderate symptoms after receiving monoclonal antibody treatment .

WVU Researchers Tackle Lyme Disease As Climate Change Expands Its Reach

Researchers at West Virginia University have received a nearly $2 million federal grant to develop a vaccine for the tick borne illness Lyme disease.

The infusion of research dollars comes as cases of the bacterial infection, spread through the bite of an infected tick, are on the rise nationwide and in West Virginia.

Originally thought to be found primarily in colder, northern regions, today Lyme disease affects an estimated 300,000 people nationwide. In recent years reported cases in West Virginia have risen from 35 in 2000 to nearly 700 in 2018, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency now categorizes West Virginia as one of 14 states with a “high incidence” of the disease.

For many people, symptoms look like a bad cold or flu, sometimes accompanied by a bull’s-eye rash. If caught early, it can be treated with antibiotics. However, some who are infected with Lyme are left with devastating long-term health problems such as arthritis, meningitis and inflammation of the heart and brain.

“It may not have the high fatality rates, but it has a serious drain on the way people live their lives and contribute to society,” said Timothy Driscoll, an assistant biology professor and head of the Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory at West Virginia University.

The five-year grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is being led by Mariette Barbier, assistant professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology.

The team is focusing on developing a vaccine that would protect against the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, called Borrelia. The team is also approaching a Lyme vaccine differently than the way most vaccines are developed.

“Rather than taking the whole pathogen, and injecting it, what we’re asking is ‘what are the most important antigens that our immune system recognizes … and [we’ll] just use those,” Barbier said.

Climate Connection

Experts say climate change is playing a role in the expansion of Lyme disease. Richard Ostfeld, a disease ecologist with the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, has studied ticks for about three decades. He said Lyme disease is spreading across the country, in part because of a warming climate.

“As the climate warms, the length of the warm period of the year increases,” Ostfeld said. “So, you get more frost-free days in the fall and in the spring, and that looks like it’s important in giving the ticks a greater chance to find hosts, animal hosts, like mice and chipmunks.”

But it’s not the only piece of the puzzle. Human expansion into habitat that was once wild increases the changes people will encounter tick-carrying creatures. Ostfeld said small mammals that are often tick carriers also survive well in our new strip malls and suburbs.

“And they are crucial in the proliferation of Lyme disease because they support tick population growth, and they support tick infection,” he said.

Vaccine development could take upwards of 10 years. There are other Lyme vaccine candidates in development, but as the range of Lyme disease grows, Driscoll said so too has the need for a preventative measure like a vaccine.

“As its range has increased, and we’ve seen it coming into West Virginia, we want to try to cut it off at the pass and see if we can not get knocked back,” he said.

If the WVU vaccine is shown to work in modeling, the team will work with potential commercial partners to put it through clinical trials, and eventually on the market.