New York – A slight increase in Lyme disease cases last year has earned Orange County the unwanted distinction of having more cases of the tick-borne illness than any other New York county.
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The tally for Orange was 1,078, up from 991 in 2008. That pushed it past Dutchess County, which led the state with 1,121 Lyme cases last year but dropped to second place in 2009 with 975, according to preliminary data provided last week by the state Department of Health.
While that is not exactly boasting material, Orange County officials see the rankings bump as a chance to heighten awareness of Lyme disease and teach ways to avoid it — especially at this time of year, when tiny deer-tick nymphs have emerged from dormancy and are barely visible.
heart problems or other serious health issues may develop if it’s left untreated.
Hudson recommends people wear long sleeves outdoors and check themselves and their children for ticks. But she also points out, lest anyone panic, that only infected deer ticks transmit Lyme disease, and only when they latch on to a human for at least 36 hours. If in doubt, bring the tick to the county Health Department (124 Main St., Goshen) to be tested.
“Not every tick bite is going to give you Lyme,” she said.
Finding a latched-on deer tick takes close scrutiny, because their bite is hardly noticeable.
“They’re very small,” said Dr. Eric Stamberg, a Rosen-dale family physician who estimates he sees as many as five to 10 patients per day with Lyme disease starting in mid-June. “They’re very easy to miss. They’re about the size of a poppy seed.”
The sad truth? “Most likely the tick bites that people get Lyme disease from are the ones that they did not notice.”
Yup! We check the kids for ticks but last year my husband got lyme and no one remembers him being bitten by a tick, we never saw that tell tale ring on his skin. And already this year we found a tick on the kids. It’s not May yet, but it’s already tick season.