Chang

The Lyme disease-infection rate of ticks in Tompkins County is among the highest in the state, with as many 30 percent of deer ticks in the area carrying the disease, said Yung-Fu Chang, director of the infectious disease research program at Cornell.

"This is a very bad disease, [and] the number of infections has been steadily increasing since 1994," said Chang, at a talk on how to avoid the disease.

However, he noted, "There is no reason to panic. Fortunately, Lyme disease is easily curable," he said. Chang's talk, sponsored by Cornell's Wellness Program, was March 17 in G01 Biotechnology Building.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 35,000 Americans were infected with Lyme disease in 2008 (46 cases in Tompkins County), a 5 percent increase since 2007 (when there were nine cases in Tompkins County). Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi from infected deer ticks, the disease can be prevented if the tick is removed promptly, Chang stressed.

"Infection of Lyme disease usually occurs between 36 to 48 hours after being bitten by an infected tick," said Chang. "If the tick is removed before that, it is unlikely for someone to develop the disease."

The disease's variety of symptoms, however, can make it difficult to diagnose, he said. Its most common symptoms are fever, localized erythema (redness of the skin) and joint stiffness; meningitis occurs in about 1 percent of reported cases.

Unfortunately, the ticks that spread Lyme disease can also carry the bacterium that triggers human anaplasmosis (HA), which can infect humans within eight hours of being bitten and is fatal in up to 10 percent of cases.

"I had a 106 degree temperature and ended up in the ICU, and I kept telling the doctors I thought I had Lyme disease, and no one would listen to me," noted audience member Durga Bor, an administrative assistant in the South Asia Program. Bor later found out she had developed a co-infection of Lyme disease with HA but, due to her symptoms, was not tested for Lyme until she finally consulted a specialist.

"I think this highlights one of the dangers of Lyme," noted Chang. "Co-infection can mask the symptoms of the disease, and if left untreated, it can be very bad."

Prevention is key, said Chang, recommending that people wear closed-toe shoes and light-colored clothing (to better see ticks) during the summer, and tuck pants into socks. Perform regular body checks and use insect repellent with DEET when necessary. Ticks should "be removed by pulling their heads straight out with a pair of tweezers, and the site should be cleaned with an antiseptic agent," he said. "You should not twist it out or pull on the body. If you are worried about Lyme, you can send the tick to a diagnostic lab through the CDC," adding that he and other researchers are still working on developing an effective vaccine.

Erik Johnson '12 is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.