Lyme disease may lurk in your own backyard
Bite from deer tick a health nightmare,
By: [Dr.] W. Gifford-Jones / The Doctor Game
Do you believe you must be in an infected area to get Lyme disease? If you do, think again. A 10-year study reports you can catch this malady in your own backyard. And since spring and fall are prime times for this disease, being forewarned is forearmed. Particularly since a bite of the deer tick can have far-reaching health consequences.
Lyme disease was first suspected in North America in 1975. In Lyme, Conn., an unusual number of children were developing what was initially thought to be juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. So a team of scientists from Yale University were sent to study this cluster of patients. These children all exhibited a “bull’s-eye” rash. In addition, they suffered from muscular, heart and neurological problems. The final diagnosis? Lyme disease.