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How to prevent Lyme disease this summer

news.harvard.edu

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Re: How to prevent Lyme disease this summer

#12
post #11
post #6

It says to use DEET? No. Use permethrin (on clothes) and picaridin (on self).

Why not use DEET?

Anecdotally it’s useless. I’ve seen them walk right over DEET sprayed boots. They freeze up pretty much on contact with permethrin.

Re: How to prevent Lyme disease this summer

#13
post #10
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had it three times as a kid and the most recent one didn't produce a "bulls eye" rash. I knew what it was by then and went to the doctor, symptomatic, telling them that I had limes, but they hadn't seen it before and told me I had the flu. I got a second opinion with blood work that came back positive for limes. So if you have "the flu" symptoms around a time you were had been running around grassy area where li…

It's "Lyme disease," named after Lyme, Connecticut (which, in turn, gets its name from Lyme Regis in England). Not "limes," that's a fruit.

Sure, but I'm not a doctor and anyone who is living in an area that I'm speaking to will understand what I wrote and those that don't (perhaps yourself included) might learn a new colloquial phrase given the context of the comment.

Re: How to prevent Lyme disease this summer

#14
post #6

It says to use DEET? No. Use permethrin (on clothes) and picaridin (on self).

Yes to permethrin, but beware it’s very dangerous for cats. Don’t spray your clothes anywhere near them. Maybe keep any clothes you treat with it in a room they can’t reach, or sealed in a container—I think once it dries it’s less-dangerous but I still wouldn’t want one to decide to curl up on a pile of them.

Re: How to prevent Lyme disease this summer

#15
How to prevent Lyme disease this summer?

Not been out since covid. Looking a bit like skeletor but thats OK.

I mean, is there anywhere safe these days.

You could catch anything out there. All those viruses and germs in the air and people breathing on you.

Now I can catch lyme disease off of those sneaky sneaky Ticks living in the long grass.

Thank heaven I dont go out.

I wont catch that bugger!

The new staying in! Dont go out!

Re: How to prevent Lyme disease this summer

#16
What sucks about Lyme disease are the possible long term effects that an infection can have. Some people believe it's because of bacteria that stay hidden in your body, but I think the more likely explanation is an auto-immune reaction. There is no treatment for these long term effects. (It's called "post treatment lyme disease syndrome").

Re: How to prevent Lyme disease this summer

#17
post #15

How to prevent Lyme disease this summer? Not been out since covid. Looking a bit like skeletor but thats OK. I mean, is there anywhere safe these days. You could catch anything out there. All those viruses and germs in the air and people breathing on you. Now I can catch lyme disease off of those sneaky sneaky Ticks living in the long grass. Thank heaven I dont go out. I wont catch that bugger! The new staying in! Do…

The article is pretty clear: wear long sleeved clothes, tuck your pants in your socks, check your body for ticks when you get home.

Ticks are dangerous, but if you are careful the risk is low.

Re: How to prevent Lyme disease this summer

#18
post #15

How to prevent Lyme disease this summer? Not been out since covid. Looking a bit like skeletor but thats OK. I mean, is there anywhere safe these days. You could catch anything out there. All those viruses and germs in the air and people breathing on you. Now I can catch lyme disease off of those sneaky sneaky Ticks living in the long grass. Thank heaven I dont go out. I wont catch that bugger! The new staying in! Do…

As far as I know, Lyme disease is much worse than COVID and most other common diseases that you can just catch randomly.

Re: How to prevent Lyme disease this summer

#19

Something to note for anyone in Lyme disease range: The bullseye is the stereotypical sign, but it is not necessarily going to show up 100% of the time. When I was diagnosed with Lyme disease in ~Y2K New Jersey, I had the bullseye rash, and the doctor called in the nurses to look at it because he had never seen one before, despite diagnosing a lot of people with Lyme disease.

Conversely, a doctor told my dad he couldn't have Lyme because he didn't have a bullseye rash. That resulted in a significant delay in treatment, and probably in permanent damage. I'm still mad about that.

Re: How to prevent Lyme disease this summer

#20
There is a new way to treat your property:

https://lymeshield.com/

It uses the original Lyme vaccine (which worked but which was withdrawn because nobody was buying it) to treat mice. You put out a bait station and the mice eat the vaccine laden bait and it kills Lyme in the mice. Ticks overwinter on mice, so if the mice are immune the ticks also get immunized. It's not perfect but they claim a 75% reduction in Lyme in ticks. Lymeshield seems to only have limited release and requires a licensed pesticide expert to install the bait station (not sure why, it seems trivial, but that's the only way the are selling it, maybe to prevent people from trying to vaccinate themselves by eating the pellets?)

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