May 31st, 2011

The Morning Call reports:

Its culprit is hard to see, but it is demanding your attention.

Lyme disease, which according to most recent figures infected close to 30,000 Americans in 2009, is approaching its peak season — and Pennsylvania leads the country in the number of reported cases.

Transmitted by the bite of a deer tick, Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are draining millions of dollars from the health care system and wreaking havoc on the lives of thousands — many of whom struggle for years before they are correctly diagnosed.

“We have seen an expansion in the parts of the state that are impacted by Lyme disease,” said Dr. Stephen Ostroff, acting physician general with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. “The tick is clearly moving away from coastal areas in the Northeast into the interior.”

Lyme disease in the state has grown 78 percent in the past decade, from 2,781 cases to 4,950 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Pennsylvania, areas that were spared in the past are becoming havens for the infection. Lehigh, Northampton and Monroe counties have all experienced an increase in cases over the past five years.

There are several reasons for the spike. Some attribute it to an increase in the white-tail deer population and the movement of more people to rural areas. Rodents, particularly white-footed mice, play a role in the spread of the bacteria. Changes in the way the information has been collected over the years have also affected the numbers, but Ostroff says the increase is real.

Read the rest of the story from The Morning Call