Cases of Lyme disease see sharp rise in N.H.
Summertime visitors urged to take precautions
Just as the summer tourist season is getting underway, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that the number of cases of Lyme disease is soaring in the Granite State.
According to statistics released by the department, the number of cases of Lyme disease increased 228 percent statewide from 271 in 2005 to 617 in 2006. Most of the reports were from the southeast portion of the state.
In Rockingham County alone, 310 cases were reported in 2006, a 170 percent increase over 2002, when 115 cases were reported. In Hillsborough County, the increase was even more pronounced, a 400 percent increase over the past four years from 37 cases to 151.
"There's no need to panic," Jason Stull, state public health veterinarian, said last week. "Lyme disease is spread by ticks and can be avoided by taking precautions in areas where ticks might be." Stull stressed the importance of using bug spray, preferably one containing the chemical DEET.
Victoria Cimino , communications director at the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism, said last week that about 33 million out-of-staters are expected to visit the Granite State this year. She said it's difficult to estimate how many visitors will come from the Bay State this summer, but said it would probably be in the millions.
Lyme disease was first identified in Lyme, Conn., in 1975 after health officials reported a surge there in diagnoses of arthritis. In its initial stages, victims display a rash and flu-like symptoms. In extreme cases, arthritic, neurological, psychiatric, and cardiac symptoms may follow, but in most cases symptoms can be eliminated with antibiotics, especially if the treatment begins early.
The disease is transmitted to humans by ticks, which feed on squirrels, chipmunks, deer, and other infected animals.
Stull said reports of Lyme disease are increasing throughout New England. "It's unclear whether there are more infected ticks carrying the disease, or if physicians are more aware of the symptoms. We think it's both."
Though many of the cases reported are in the seacoast towns of Portsmouth, Rye, and North Hampton, he said visitors are unlikely to become infected at saltwater beaches.
"Ticks don't do well in dry areas," he said. "They like the woods, high grass, and humid areas."
Alan Eaton , a University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension entomologist, said he is not surprised by the increase in reports of the disease. "The ticks are expanding their territory and we're starting to live in places we didn't before," he said. "Bird feeders and wood piles attract white-footed mice and chipmunks that serve as hosts for the disease.
"With increased development we're changing the forest habitats into edge-of-the-forest habitats." Eaton was codirector of a 2005 study that determined that 50 percent of ticks in Lee and Durham and 70 percents of the ticks in Concord were infected with Lyme-causing bacteria.
"The disease was discovered in the mid-1970s," he said, "and there's no sign of abatement."
But he said it is easy to defend yourself. In addition to using insect repellents when outdoors, people should wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts and tuck their pants into their socks. After being outdoors, they should examine their bodies in front of a mirror and promptly remove any ticks that are found. "It takes at least 24 hours to become infected after a tick attaches itself to your body," he said.
"Keep in mind ticks are not just creatures of the backwoods, and they're not of concern only to hikers and hunters. They live in our backyards," said Stull. "Keep your lawn closely trimmed and remove leaf litter from your yards. And create a wall or other barrier between your yard and the forest."
Henry Burke , camp director at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye who has had a bout with the disease himself, is familiar with the precautions. "You just have to be careful," he said. "The symptoms are obvious and the secret is early detection." 