Northeastern Massachusetts has long been plagued by Lyme disease-carrying ticks, but a recent study in Southern New Hampshire shows the problem is spreading rapidly over the state border.
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services released data this week that indicated more than 50 percent of ticks tested last fall in Rockingham County — which includes communities such as Seabrook, Hampton and Portsmouth — were carriers of Lyme disease. That's almost twice as many as experts had initially predicted.
Since 2004, the number of confirmed cases of humans contracting Lyme disease in Rockingham County had nearly quadrupled, from 103 in 2004 to 389 last year.
While the disease can be treated with antibiotics, it also can lead to serious illness or death if not diagnosed and treated quickly.
Essex County, which includes Newburyport and surrounding towns, has had Lyme disease problems for years. According to Dr. Bela Matyas, medical director of the epidemiology program for the Massachusetts State Health Department, the county had 273 reported cases in 2006, the latest year for which complete statistics are available.
"All over (Essex County) is considered highly endemic," Matyas said. "All over the state there are pockets of high risk and low risk; in different parts of communities there are different risks. Overall (Essex County) is a high-risk area for Lyme disease."
Matyas attributed the increase of Lyme disease in Massachusetts to ecological changes, including the return of deer to residential neighborhoods. Deer often carry the infected small, black-legged ticks.
"(Massachusetts is the) ideal habitat for Lyme disease," Matyas said. "The missing piece has tended to be deer. The deer are returning to lots of communities where they haven't been in a while."
Matyas noted that in Essex County for a very long time there has been a large number of people infected with Lyme disease, specifically 273 reported cases in 2006.
Judy Anderson, of Home Health VNA, and the public health nurse for Newburyport, West Newbury, Newbury, Georgetown and Salisbury, said that in those five communities last year there were 60 lab-reported cases of Lyme disease. But she feels that number is underrepresented because many more cases were likely diagnosed by health care providers without a lab test.
"I would say it's the most common reportable illness in those five towns," Anderson said. "That makes it in my mind a serious issue."
Matyas said people should not be worried about the increase of the number of people infected with Lyme disease, but they should be cautious.
"People should be cautious when outdoors — there are ticks," Matyas said. "Our recommendation is to try and prevent Lyme disease by preventing exposure to ticks."
Anderson said May and June are the most dangerous times to be bitten by a tick because people often don't realize that they have been bitten, because the nymph deer ticks are much smaller.
Matyas added that it takes a day to two days of a tick being attached before it can transmit Lyme disease.
Early Lyme disease symptoms can show up days to weeks after first being bitten and include a large circular rash around the bite, flu-like symptoms, fever, headache, and aching muscles and joints. People diagnosed with Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics, but if not treated early, more serious problems can occur.
Matyas noted that Lyme disease symptoms might not show until the later stage, weeks to years after being bitten, when it affects the joints and the nervous system and is much more difficult to treat.
Matyas said the problem with Lyme diseases is that you can't know whether a tick is infected with a disease or not, without testing it.
"The truth is over the past five years the risk of disease has been spreading across more and more communities," Matyas said. "That's why our goal is to prevent exposure."
Tick tips
r Avoid tick-infested areas such as overgrown grass, brush and leaves.
r Cut grass routinely and clean leaf litter to avoid creating breeding grounds for ticks.
r Use insect repellent that contains DEET on clothes and skin.
r Wear clothing that covers skin and that's light colored so ticks can easily be seen.
r Check for ticks after long periods of time spent outdoors.
r Remove a tick promptly; the sooner it's off, the less chance there is of infection.
r Use tweezers to grasp the tick's mouthparts at the surface of the skin.
r With a steady motion, gently pull the tick straight out.
r Wipe the bite area with an antiseptic, or wash with soap and water.
r Be alert for symptoms of illness over the next seven to 10 days.
r Do not squeeze; use a hot match or pour kerosene or nail polish on the tick.
N.H. Department of Health and Human Services
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