The New York Times has recently hosted a discussion called, “Deconstructing Lyme Disease” where a panel of medical, scientific, and environmental specialists gathered to provide their perspectives on the debilitating and deadly disease. Eight different, knowledgeable perspectives provided their ideas and advice about Lyme Disease and ticks in North America. Since the disease is becoming more and more prevalent throughout the United States, many people are looking for preventative steps against infection. The piece from Lyle R. Petersen tells us that, “each year, the blacklegged tick is responsible for about 30,000 reported cases of Lyme disease — and tens of thousands of unreported cases.” The part by Dr. Richard I. Horowitz, makes it clear that ticks are capable of carrying diseases much nastier than Lyme Disease.
While the specialists debate over the medical use of antibiotics in treating tick bite Lyme Disease, scientific and community managers discuss using certain pesticides to treat yards and gardens, ways we can reduce tick populations through environmental control, and what direction the science community should go in order to better understand tick populations and the diseases that carry. Bug spray, long clothing, and regular bodily tick checks, aren't enough anymore.
Read the article, here.
