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Jul 7, 2006 5:55 pm US/Eastern
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Lyme Disease Is On The Rise In Pennsylvania
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
Lyme Disease is on the rise in Pennsylvania.
In fact, the state now ranks second in number of reported cases in the nation.
And one of the counties in our area is concerned high risk.
KDKA's David Highfield explains something you may want to do in your yard to avoid the problem.
Tammi Burleson of Elizabeth Township suffers from Lyme Disease.
"It's scary to even leave the house, because I don't know what's going to happen," said Burleson.
When she was first diagnosed with Lyme's disease five years ago, she had to use a wheelchair, now she still takes medicine and things are unpredictable.
"One minute, I'm fine and then the next minute, I could be sick in bed with a migraine, severe body aches that completely put me out of commission."
Lyme Disease is spread by the deer tick.
"A lot of times ticks are on you and you don't even know it," said Bill Todaro of the Allegheny County Health Department. "They maybe in your armpit or someplace and you can't even see them."
There were 2,640 confirmed cases of Lyme Disease in Pennsylvania in 2001.
Last year, there were more than 4,042.
Butler County is rated as a high risk.
Lawrence, Armstrong, Westmoreland and Washington Counties are low risk.
Beaver, Fayette, Indiana and Allegheny are listed as no risk.
Yet there were 32 diagnosed cases in Allegheny County last year.
If you're going out into the woods or a meadow, you don't want to wear a short sleeve shirt, shorts or sandals.
Instead you want to cover yourself up and tuck long pants into your shoes and wear a long sleeve shirt.
Using insect repellent on your clothes and exposed skin can also help.
If you do find a tick attached to you, grab the tick as close to the skin as you can get it.
Then, gently but firmly pull back.
Don't yank or jerk the tick and don't put a match to it or cigarette to it.
Some people infected develop a bullseye rash and early symptoms are fatigue, fever and aches.
"If they get a tick bite and they have any of the symptoms, they should notify their physician and let them know so that they can get treated before anything happens," said Dr. Elliot Goldberg, a rheumatologist.
That treatment is antibiotics.
If caught early, Dr, Goldberg says it's a 99 plus percent cure.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)