Culture and Disease
HCS/245
March 22, 2012
Michael Coker

Culture and Disease

Winter has ended and spring is here, and it has everyone running to enjoy the warm air and to embrace the outdoors of the hot summer sun rays. However, there is something lurking within the bushes and in the back yard which, they cannot wait for their next victims to attack. There is a small insect that crawls and is ready to take over Mother Nature because of the warm environment. This type of ticks can create a disease called Lyme disease. Within this paper, information will be pertaining to the culture and disease within a particular populated area of the knowledge of describing the disease, factors that make this particular population vulnerable, environmental factors, modes for disease transmission, methods are used to control the spread of alternative methods, role of social influences and benefits and values of treatment, and identify community health promotion and wellness strategies to help prevent the disease. According to Webster’s New World Medical Dictionary (2003) Lyme disease is an inflammatory disease caused by the bacterium Bornelia Burgdorferi that is transmitted to human by the deer tick. An infected tick can transmit the spirochete to humans and animal it bites. The first sign of Lyme disease is a red, circular, expanding rash usually radiating from the tick bite. After the Burgdorferi has entered the bloodstream, it can infect and inflame many types of tissues eventually causing many symptoms that can become severe. Lyme disease was first recognized by Dr. Allen Steere in the United States 1975. There was a mysterious outbreak of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis near the community of Lyme, Connecticut. The onset of the Lyme disease outbreak, and illness were during summer and early fall. It was believed that the transmission of the disease was by an Arthropod Vector (Todar, 2008). Borelli Burgdorferi bacterium that causes Lyme disease was first isolated in 1982 by Willy Burgdorfer Ph.D. a zoologist and microbiologist at NIAID’s Rocky Mountain laboratories in Hamilton Montana. In 1982 he found the cause of Lyme disease that causes spirochete which it was named after Dr. Burgdorfer (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, 2008).
This type of disease can choose any population, young or old, male, or female can be affected. There is an increase risk for hiking, camping, and boating, and any individual who frequent the woods, bushy, and grassy place can be vulnerable, and let us not forget your typical hunters who handle wild life can also be exposed to ticks. The population is most affected by this disease are those in areas highly wooded, and have a high deer population are also among the most affected area which, are located North Eastern states and North Central states (lymenet, 2000). According to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (2012), State Health department reported 22,572 confirmed cases of Lyme disease to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2010.
According to Lyme Net (2000), Lyme disease has a wide distribution in Northern temperate regions of the world, In the United States the tocks occurs in the Northeast from Massachusetts to Maryland and North-Central states are Wisconsin, and Minnesota. West Coast is the Northern California. A Lyme disease needs to exist in certain types of elements which are presented by nature. The life cycle of those ticks requires two years to complete. Adult ticks feed and mate in the fall and early spring. Female ticks will drop off these animals to lay eggs on the ground. By summer eggs hatches into larvae, and this will complete the two year life cycle (Lyme Net, 2000). Transmission of Lyme disease occurs in the North Central of The United States and in the North Eastern are the black-legged ticks or deer tick called Ixodes scapularis that transmit Lyme disease. On the Pacific costal the disease is spread in the western black- legged tick. They are called Ixodes pacificus. There is the black-legged ticks which, usually live for two years and have three feeding stages, they are Larvae, nymph, and adult. Whenever a young tick feeds on an infected animal, the ticks take the bacterium into the body along with the blood it consumes. The ticks’ guts consume with the bacterium and once the feeding begins, it can transmit the bacterium into the host it is feeding off. The new host can be another small rodent but the new host could also be a human. Animals can carry infected ticks into area where human live. It is unknown is pet owners are more likely to get Lyme disease than others (lymenet, 2000).
According to the Centers of Disease Control and prevention (2011), ticks can attach to any part of the human body but are often found in the hand-to-see areas such as, the groin, armpit, and the scalp. In most cases ticks must be attacked for 36-48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted (CDC, 2011). Once a person has been infected a rash appears, symptoms, such as joint pain, chills, fever, and fatigue are common. As the disease continues to spread throughout the body in an aggressive state, symptoms of serve fatigue, stiff achy neck, and peripheral nervous system, and facial palsy occurs in the last stage of the disease. The severity of the symptoms can linger for weeks, months, and even years after a tick bite that arthritis and cardiac abnormality and central nervous system can lead to cognitive mental disorder. Transmission of the Lyme disease in human occurs in the late spring and summer when the tiny black-legged nymphs are most active and human outdoor activity is at a higher peak. They are many methods used to control the spread of Lyme disease; It is very important to help reduce the exposure is the best defense against contracting Lyme disease. Various methods are: Try avoiding tick infested areas, ticks prefer wooded and busy areas with tall grasses, ticks can also reside on lawns and gardens, especially at the edge of woodlands, to avoid tick walk in the center of trails, and older stone walls especially, in May, June, and July. Everyone who enjoys the outdoor can use DEET on the skin, clothing, or permethrin on clothing and gears. Products containing permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and gears that can remain protective through several washing. Everyone must perform daily ticks check after working or playing outdoors even in your own backyard. Last, prevention everyone can keep in mind to always check under the arm, in and around the ears, check inside the belly button, back of the knees, look in and around the head, and body hairs, look between the legs, and around the waist. However, reducing and managing deer population in a geographic area where Lyme disease occurs can help decrease any occurrence of the disease. Second, removing plants, and creates barriers to help discourage deer from coming near home (Lymenet, 2000). There alternative methods that can be maintained by every individual that live, work, or even love the outdoors. Here are a few alternatives; Always wear white- colored clothing so that ticks can be spotted more easily. Tuck pants legs into socks or boots and shirts need to be tucked in the pants, wear hat, and a long sleeved shirt for added protection, after enjoying the outdoors, remove clothing, washing and drying at a high temperature. Try to remove the ticks with a tweezers by pulling straight up and avoid crushing the ticks’ body. Always wash the hands to prevent transmission in the future (lymenet, 2000). Preventive antibiotic are also used for treatment. Once someone acquired the disease a course of oral antibiotic are used for a few weeks. Oral medications are commonly used Doxycycline, Amoxicillin, and Cefuroxime Axetil, individuals with certain neurological or cardiac requires intravenous treatment (lymenet, 2000). There are no links that support any reliable source about the effects of the alternative treatments. Everyone should not replace treatment for Lyme disease, such as antibiotics. According to the Centers of Disease Centers and Preventions (2011), many community health programs have resources about Lyme disease and prevention geared to the public sector. There are promotions in the geographic area of the Lyme disease zone, which the Environmental Protections need to approve before any building can take place in a deer zone. There are residents that want to adopt a community to help protect and control programs the geared to the deer populations. Department of health are also enforcing the public to notify their health care providers if they have been bitten by a tick. There are many community promotions that everyone can seek online. Remember always go on reliable websites that are creditable. The Lyme disease Association (1996) www.lymediseaseassociation.org, indicates that there promoting community pest management to prevent tick-Bourne discount. In Arlington Virginia, an event took place for the public to help educate the community and their populations of the history of Lyme disease that was a success. The Environmental Protection Agency was also involved, they answered many question and distribute brochures to the public.

In conclusion, everyone enjoy the outdoors regardless if it is camping, hiking, walking the dog, or even an afternoon stroll in the woods or bushy area. Everyone needs to be alert, and know his or her surroundings in general. Upon researching for this assignment, the knowledge and information that was read has opened my eyes of this silent disease. My family enjoys taking long walks in the park and playing outdoors; we are aware and alert of the importance of this disease that lurks in woods, trails, and even in our backyard. Understanding the risk of Lyme disease, symptoms of Lyme disease, treatments on when someone gets infected and how to prevent a tick bite and how ticks transmit the disease will help and prevent anyone from getting this disease.

References:
Lyme Net. (2000). CDC guide to Lyme Disease Retrieved from http://library.lymenet.org

Lyme disease Association. (1996). Retrieved from http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org

Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Lyme disease. Retrieved from

http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/

Todar's Online Textbook of Bacteriology. 2008. 9 Aug 2009

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. (2012). NIAID's Role in Lyme disease Research. Retrieved from

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/lymeDisease/Pages/lymeDisease.aspx