Battle Wages on About the Treatment of Lyme Disease

Posted by Mosquito Squad

June 13, 2013

Amidst the rising anger and activism of patients suffering from Lyme Disease many feel the lack of treatment is due in part to physicians’ idea that the illness is over diagnosed.  It is true that Lyme Disease is filled with scientific uncertainties such as who has it, and why some infected with the illness remain sick long after treatment. One thing we know for sure is the problems aren’t getting any better, while the illness is still getting worse. Massachusetts is one of just a handful of states in the US where Lyme Disease is reaching endemic proportions and the numbers of infected is growing by leaps and bounds each year.

According to a recent article published by The Boston Globe, Lyme Disease and the ticks associated with the spread of the illness appear to be a low priority for public health authorities. The article sites that over 10 million per year is dedicated to control the mosquitoes responsible for the spread of West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Massachusetts each year. On the other hand, the more prevalent vector-borne illness, Lyme Disease, only receives about $60,000 annually in state funding. Dr. Allen Steere who discovered Lyme and is now the nation’s most prominent Lyme researcher and advocate feels the discrepancies come from the lack of a focused diagnostic test specifically for Lyme. Without the “sure thing” within our reach, the diagnosis for Lyme Disease has become the “go to” answer for a wide range of vague and varying health complaints. Since the symptoms of Lyme do indeed mimic the symptoms of other illnesses such as arthritis, asthma, depression and even eczema (due in part to the illnesses trademark rash that sometimes accompanies the presence of Lyme), medical circles deem Lyme Disease as the great pretender  this very reason.

Since Lyme Disease is treatable, antibiotics are recommended for a minimum of four to six weeks. More chronic cases may require a longer treatment and some physicians are combining more than one drug for more difficult cases. The disease however, is not always that straight forward, in many cases of Lyme there are more than just the initial infection; there can be co-infections with it. This opens the door to a plethora of problems including medicine shortages.  The United States is now in peak tick season, and Doxycycline, the antibiotic commonly used to treat Lyme disease is in short supply, and some politicians are calling for the federal government to do something about it. Doxycycline went on the federal government’s national drug shortage list in January because of manufacturing delays and rising demand, which has driven up the cost. This is just another element adding fuel to the flames of Lyme Disease debates all over the country.

With tick season in full swing here on the North Shore, we are reminded Lyme Disease is most commonly contracted in May and June. Now is the time to prevent against the disease and in these times of skepticism over the disease, reducing your exposure to the source of the problem is the best medicine. This means eliminating and controlling deer ticks on your property and protecting yourself properly when venturing into unprotected areas.

Mosquito Squad of the North Shore is waging war on the fight against Lyme Disease in the North Shore area of Massachusetts. Our tick control program is focused on eliminating your exposure to potentially infected ticks within your yard. We combine tick tube implementation with our highly effective barrier treatment program to eradicate ticks within your treated area. Our proven combination targets ticks at various stages of their life cycle and can reduce the amount of ticks that could be carrying Lyme Disease in your yard by up to 90%.

Contact Mosquito Squad of the North Shore today to learn more about our effective tick control program and spread the word to your friends and neighbors because communication is the key to raising the awareness and success of reducing the cases of  Lyme Disease here in Massachusetts.