Activism

Local Group Organizes Conference and Public Forum on Lyme Disease

Press release for Ukiah Conference, 2003

By Phyllis Mervine

On the north coast, the month of May is the peak of the season for nymphal ticks - the poppy-seed-sized ticks that cause most human cases of Lyme disease. Ukiah resident Phyllis Mervine, president of the Lyme Disease Resource Center, hopes to raise local awareness with a conference at Ukiah Civic Center Auditorium on Saturday, May 17. Among topics speakers will address are a new tick-borne disease reported from Willits and a dangerous experimental therapy called ICHT (IntraCellular HyperThermia) being tried by some desperate patients, using an outlawed chemical to boost body temperature. Healthcare professionals will attend a 8am-3pm session, while the public is invited to a Question and Answer Forum from 4 to 6pm. Speakers include a physician who treats hundreds of patients in the Bay Area, and a UC Berkeley scientist who has conducted tick studies in Mendocino County. The Mendocino County Public Health Dept and the California Dept. of Health Services are cosponsoring the event.

Most human cases of Lyme disease are caused by the tiny nymphal ticks that are found in leaf litter under trees. Their bite is painless and most people never realize they have been bitten. In addition, ticks carry other diseases that can infect humans, including ehrlichiosis, until recently thought to be a disease of horses; babesiosis, a malaria-like parasite that infects red blood cells; bartonella, or cat-scratch disease; and tularemia, also studied for possible use as a bioweapoon. Mervine hopes to educate healthcare professionals about the rapidly growing problem of tick-borne diseases so that people will be diagnosed and treated properly.

“The main problem is that as long as people are not looking for tick-borne diseases, they won’t find them,” states Mervine. “Lyme is frequently misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, various types of arthritis, and even serious neurological disorders like MS and mental illness.” Co-infection with one or more of the other tick-borne diseases can cause more serious illness and difficulty in treatment, Mervine says.

A frequent early sign of infection is a non-specific flu-like illness with headache, fever and muscle aches and pains. Lyme can cause a characteristic bull’s-eye rash which is diagnostic, but unfortunately, fewer than 10% of infected individuals develop this particular rash, and experts believe that only 50% develop any rash at all. If untreated, the germs quickly invade the central nervous system, including the brain. Neurologic problems are common: depression, memory loss, impaired concentration, extreme fatigue, insomnia, mood swings. Children, who account for 25% of the total number of cases reported nationwide, often develop learning and behavior problems. The heart may be affected, causing rapid heartbeat and heart block. Arthritis, especially of the knee, may appear weeks or months later.

Mendocino County rivals highly endemic East Coast communities in tick infection rates and incidence, although state reported case figures are low because of underdiagnosis and lack of reporting. In one rural community near Ukiah, an average of 12% of the nymphal ticks and over one third of the residents are infected with Lyme.

The Lyme Disease Resource Center is a nonprofit affiliate of the Lyme Disease Association (LDA). For more information about Lyme and other tickborne diseases, see their website at www.lymedisease.org, or check out their publication, the Lyme Times at www.lymetimes.org.

For more information about the April 12 conference, call 707-468-8460.