How Aware Are You About Westchester Lyme Disease Resources?

Lyme Disease Awareness Month is in May each year.  Are you aware of the resources available to you in combating this disease?  Here in Westchester County, we have experienced doctors and hospitals nearby who are involved in researching this potentially debilitating disease.  In addition, there are things you can do around your home to reduce your exposure to Lyme Disease.

New York and 11 other states in the US are endemic to this disease.  Westchester NY residents need to know how Lyme Disease occurs, how it progresses and how it is treated.  Let’s talk about this disease and some of the resources available to you.

Lyme Disease responds well to a course of antibiotics in 75% of the reported cases.  The other 25% have what is termed chronic Lyme Disease.  Chronic symptoms may last a few weeks or months after treatment.  Researchers do not know what causes chronic Lyme Disease or the more medically accepted term PTLDS, Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome.

There is a heated debate among patients and the medical community on PTLDS.  The Infectious Diseases Society of America does not recognize chronic Lyme Disease.  Consensus in the scientific community is that chronic Lyme Disease is a second infection of the bacteria, not a reoccurrence.  Chronic Lyme Disease is often treated with months of antibiotics, which is not an approved treatment in most states.  Despite no hard scientific proof of its efficacy, several legislatures in the states where Lyme Disease is endemic have passed laws allowing the extended treatment.

Westchester Magazine listed Dr. Robert Nadelman, and Valhalla, NY physician, as a “Top Doctor”.  ABC News published a story in November 2012 titled, Repeat Lyme Is Reinfection, Not Relapse.  In the story, Dr. Robert Nadelman of New York Medical College discussed a limited study on PTLDS.  The study found second infections in Lyme Disease were with a different strain of the organism than the first infection.

A story in CNN Sunday Morning reports a discussion with Dr. Nadelman where he reports how a single dose of an antibiotic may stop Lyme Disease before it progresses.  Residents of Westchester, NY are fortunate to have a resource like Dr. Nadelman in the battle against Lyme Disease.  He is what many would call a “Lyme literate” physician.

Most Lyme Disease cases are reported May through July, so it is a good time to know the signs and symptoms of this disease.  You can begin with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  How to remove ticks and how to keep them away are important tools in your awareness of this disease.

Removing leaf litter and eliminating thick brush help in reducing ticks in your yard.  Using a barrier treatment in your yard is a tool experts recommend in reducing your exposure to this disease.  Effective barrier sprays, like the one used by Mosquito Squad of Northern Westchester, Putnam & Dutchess County  is an excellent way to eliminate ticks in your yard.

Contact Mosquito Squad of Northern Westchester, Putnam & Dutchess County today to learn more about reducing the risks of tick-borne illness on your property this season.